


LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
PRINCETON. N. J. 


PRESENTED BY 


1 Sei MM. Lwemer. 


BV 3180 .M37 1926 

Mason, Alfred DeWitt, 1855-| 
1923. 

History of the Arabian 
mission 













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\ 1 


HISTORY & 


é fs id 4 
LOGICAL SENS 
of the 


ARABIAN MISSION 


JUN 3° jong a 


by 1 \y 4 
Rev. Alfred DeWitt Mason, D.D. 
anda 


Rev. Frederick J. Barny, M.A. 





1926 


THE BoarD OF ForEIGN MISSIONS 
_ REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA 
25 East 22d Street New York 










Copyright, 1926 , 
Boarp oF Foreign Missions, R.C.A. 
New York : } 





THE ABBOTT Press 
New York 





Foreword 


HIS is the story of a unique organized human endeavor, 

an endeavor carried forward so far that it may properly 

be described as an achievement. Broad in conception, 
courageous in execution, unfaltering in persistence, it is truly 
a notable accomplishment—not completed, perhaps even not 
far advanced; but the area of activity has been widened, the 
ground has been well sown and even the blood of martyrs has 
enriched it. Much has been involved. The Cradle of Islam 
has been gently shocked; there has been strife; the clash of 
ideals—social, intellectual and spiritual. It has not been 
Greek meeting Greek; it has been the Christian meeting the 
Moslem on the latter’s own ground with weapons of ministry 
and service and friendship. The hate engendered by centuries 
has gradually but surely given way before the assaults of love. 
This is not a mere figure of speech or even an exaggeration. 
The man who is dominant in Arabia Deserta today, whose hand 
controls the silent deserts and the Holy City of Mecca, is the 
personal friend of the men whose notable achievements this 
story reveals, to whom, indeed, one of these men has dedicated 
his penetrating book on the Arabs in their desert homes, on a 
basis not of criticism but of plain speaking, on the assured 
grounds of personal friendship. 


This story of human endeavor entitled The History of the 
Arabian Mission has been put into connected and permanent 
form largely through the trained hand and the sympathetic 
mind of one of the closest friends of the men and women whose 
deeds-make up the story—the Rev. A. DeWitt Mason, D.D., 
’ the author of the well known Outlines of Missionary History. 
Dr. Mason took up the task of chronicler at the unanimous 


request of the friends of the Arabian Mission. Peculiarly 
well equipped by sympathy in understanding and experience 
in authorship, he has given to the gathering and examination 
of material much time and labor, outlining the entire history 
and writing in full a number of the chapters. Unhappily, he 
died before the completion of the manuscript. 


The task was then undertaken by the Rev. F. J. Barny, M.A., 
one of the senior members of the group which had wrought 
this fine work through nearly four decades. He has now 
brought the record of this story to completion with great 


satisfaction to participants and friends. 


This record of deed and of achievement is now to be shared 
with the larger host interested in every brave endeavor inspired 
by devotion to Jesus Christ. Every such record adds evidence 
of the worth of life and of the capacity of men and women to 
rise to a difficult task in obedience to Divine Guidance. 


W. I. CHAMBERLAIN. 


TABLE OF CONTENTS 


PART ONE. PRELIMINARY 


CHAPTER PAGE 
PeulhesiGand andsits People vai. ucmenen: eee me, le: 9 
pietiistory and, Civilization yen. arin a OM DM. 17 
Pie telivion: and »Kducatione starsat ny eee 27 
IV. Early Contactwithi Christianity se eran in sue eee 42 


PART TWO. Tue History 


aM emer 1ONCETS (gine yal Meee ak setae att Vey Any na 57 
NEC OSSESSIT TNE AT ATIC tare. o kt St sia clic. ame ey ct 81 
Pein epocrengthenin gathoy stakes. dae cle stile esis 107 

Deembeengtnenmo nthe Cords ten til sie ey lorries shea, hats 140 

IX. Years of the Right Hand of the Most High....... 166 

Deemyy OMENS OW oricetoraW OMe! niueir ein hi tecuey. nde oe 211 
TEM ISLOMMNLISSIONISH Cit taste ah Mtat A eee Mors SoU deh engi ay 223 
PER COLCLUSION: We emy tn uid se eins AG me a elon eeu Oo 


PAT DETICICES gira eee Cerne Hse nN MeR MAL ann D ATR I Q42 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEAT steer eta caesin tes Wouth: o's wietexme ofl sera PERS ais AS Frontispiece 
FACING PAGE 
An Arab of Mesopotamia......... re phat ete ote Sal ieee eee ee 12 
hew bay cabal yes.) sors bch tarts says tisgene FON Ce UN ae aCe 24 
Prayer: at ‘a: Tomb. 3).0550.0 cin one «ain as sjemerehetite teen ea aaa 40 
PERE VPIONEELS | oor les diese! Sle lp colle! oleh cLe hs! abated a ota heranat ate ina emmieg 57 
Flerzog Halle oi iis use ak 6 oete elena: ener ee anemone 57 
General View of Muscatec? .). Uti a. cele ieipenie tte eens 78 
Revs) Peter J) Gwemer.oc.0'9 . o/c's cy ele abeieleeaty aaa Cee ens 96 
The .Freed; Slave School, Muscat. 2527.00 7s aee serene 96 
Mason Memorial Hospital, Bahrain.................... 116 
Lansing Memorial Hospital, Basrah: 72.0) 0.. sees 132 
The, Mission’:House,;.:Basrah’), ccc. nse tte oe ees 152 
Dr. Mylrea and Patient in Kuwait Hospital............. 152 
Rev. F. J. Barny and Group of Guests at Muscat........ 156 
Dr. Thoms ‘Treating, Patients at Matrah....... 2.2.0. 156 
The Sheikh’s’ Levies, Bahrain #)4./4.),,0¢ 06 5 seis ee 176 
The New. Pier; Bahrain. (coo ae ee aie eee 176 
Dr. and Mrs. Van Ess with Teachers and Young Arab 
Sheikhs in Boys’ Boarding School, Basrah.......... 188 
Abd ul) Aziz ‘bin: Saudi. <ircits calemcctees: n ie aren 196 
Dr. Dame: Ready ‘to Start for Riadhwic. .).). 20. eee 196 
The New Girls’ School at Ashar, Basrah................. 220 
Ion Keith-Falconer Hospital, Sheikh Othman........... 228 


The: River; Front)? Baghdad aii. ce ee 228 


Cbe Arabian Mission bymn 


EstHer CAattis 





“There’s a land long since neglected, 
There’s a people still rejected, 
But of truth and grace elected, 
In His love for them. 


ih : 
Softer than their night wind’s fleeting, 
Richer than their starry tenting, 
Stronger than their sands protecting, 
Is His love for them. 


III. 
To the host of Islam’s leading, 
For the slave in bondage bleeding, 
To the desert dweller pleading, 
Bring His love to them. 
IV. 
Through the promise on God’s pages, 
Through His work in history’s stages, 
Through the Cross that crowns the ages, 
Show His love to them. 


V. 
With the prayer that still availeth, 
With the power that prevaileth, 
With the love that never faileth, 
Tell His love to them. 
VI. 
Till the desert’s sons now aliens, 
Till its tribes and their dominions, 
Till Arabia’s raptured millions, 
Praise His love of them.” 


Pror. J. G. LAnsina, 1889. 


NOTE—This new tune for the words of the familiar Arabian 
pa, Hymn was recently composed by a friend of the Mission in 
ngland. 





CuHapter I. 
THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE 
THE LAND 


Jezirat-el Arab, ‘the Island of the Arabs,” is the 
name by which the great peninsula of southwestern 
Asia was known to its early inhabitants. As the 
adventurous traveller circles its forbidding shores, he 
finds that on the east, the south and the west wide 
stretches of ocean and gulf separate this peninsula 
from the neighboring lands, while on the north the 
vast and almost impassable sands of the Syrian or 
Arabian desert make access to Arabia by land even 
more difficult than the approach to it by water. 

This peninsula, though known in history for at 
least one thousand years B. C., nevertheless remains 
the largest single stretch of unexplored territory on 
the globe aside from the polar regions. Its mean 
breadth is about 700 miles, its extreme length 1,200 
miles and its area about one million square miles or 
somewhat less than that of the United States east of 
the Mississippi River. ‘The population inhabiting 
this territory is greatly limited by the natural condi- 
tions of the land, vast portions of which are untillable 
and can support only the wild Bedawin, who move 
from place to place with their herds of camels and 
sheep. These conditions also make the exact enum- 


9 


10 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


eration of the inhabitants impossible, the figures vary- 
ing from five to eight million people, the lower of 
these estimates probably being nearer the truth. 

Until recently Arabia has been regarded as mainly 
a vast expanse of sandy desert, but recent explora- 
tions have proved this idea quite incorrect. Palgrave, 
though one of our older authorities, thus accurately 
describes its general features: 

“The general type of Arabia is that of a central 
tableland surmounted by a desert ring, sandy to the 
south and west and east, stony to the north. ‘This out- 
lying circle is in its turn girt by a line of mountains, 
low and sterile for the most part, but attaining in 
Yemen and Oman considerable height, breadth and 
fertility, while beyond these a narrow rim of coast 
is bordered by the sea. The surface of the midmost 
tableland equals somewhat less than one-half the 
entire peninsula; and its special demarcations are 
much affected, nay often absolutely fixed, by the 
windings and inrunnings of the Nefud, or sandy 
desert.” 

The average elevation of these central highlands, 
Nejd, is no less than 8,000 feet above the sea, 
gradually rising in the south to the highlands of 
Yemen and Oman where there are mountain peaks 
as high as 8,000 and 10,000 feet. “This diversity of 
surface causes an equally diversified climate. On 
the coast, the heat is intense during the summer, 
averaging between 100° and 103° F., while in the 
highlands of Yemen and Oman the mercury seldom 
rises above 85° F. In fact all northern Arabia has a 
winter season with cold rains and occasional frost, 
and some of its loftiest mountain peaks, such as Jebel 


THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE. 11 


Tobeyk in northwestern Arabia, are covered with 
snow all winter.” (“The Cradle of Islam,’’ Zwemer. ) 

Dr. S. M. Zwemer mentions as also characteristic 
of Arabia, the great Wadys, or dry river beds, which 
in winter are raging torrents but for two-thirds of 
the year are entirely dried up on the surface but 
feed the wells which are then sunk into their arid 
beds; the Harrat, or volcanic tracts, whose black 
and forbidding expanses extend in places for many 
miles, a wilderness of lava and lava stones with many 
extinct crater heads, craggy and strewn with rough 
rocks of basalt and other igneous rocks; and the 
Nefud, or sandy deserts, which occupy large tracts 
of land, especially on the north, and whose general 
physical features are those of a plain covered with 
stunted aromatic shrubs of many varieties. Some 
nefuds abound in grasses and flowering plants, after 
the early rains, and then the desert actually “blos- 
soms as the rose’; while others are without rain and 
barren all the year round, being covered with long 
stretches of drifting sand carried about by the wind 
and tossed in billows on the weather side of the rocks 
and bushes. But even amid the burning rocks and 
shifting sands of the outside or coast circle of Arabia, 
there are many places where a more or less regular 
and abundant rainfall or the lifegiving moisture of 
the underground rivers makes possible garden spots 
of wondrous fertility and beauty, whose towering 
palms, vividly colored flowers and plants, and 
abundant crops, in their season, give pleasure and 
support to those who dwell among them; while on 
the inland plateau of which we have spoken, large 
tracts of land bring forth in abundance grain and 


12 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


palms and fruit trees, with pastures covered with 
the sheep and goats, the camels and horses of the 
far-famed Arabian breed. In the proper places also 
game, both feathered and quadruped, is plentiful 
and even beasts of prey abound. 

‘Nothing is more surprising,” says Dr. Zwemer, 
“than to pass through the barren cinder gateway of 
Aden up the mountain passes into the marvellous 
fertility and delightful climate of Yemen. Arabia, 
like the Arabian, has a rough exterior but a warm 
and hospitable heart.” 


THE PEOPLE 


Into this strange land, at once so repellent and 
so attractive in its natural features, there came in the 
earliest days of credible history, two races; the earlier 
one of which was the Hamitie or Cushite type (the 
Ethiopians of the Old Testament) which blended 
in itself two elements, the children of Cush, the 
grandson of Noah, and the children of Joktan, who 
was the son of Eber and the grandson of Shem, im 
the third generation. “This primitive race was later 
joined by a race descended from Ishmael, the son of 
Abraham, concerning whom God had promised ‘I 
will make of him a great nation’ (Gen. 17:20), and 
embraced not only his descendants but the E,domites, 
Moabites, Ammonites, Amalekites, Midianites and 
probably other cognate tribes. The families of the 
older race are now known in Arabia as Yemenites, 
the Ishmaelitic Arabs as Maadites, and it is said 
that though they have lived together for more than 
three thousand years the Yemenites and the Maad- 





AN ARAB OF MESOPOTAMIA 





THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE 13 


ites have always been and still remain not only en- 
tirely distinct but perpetually and fiercely hostile to 
each other.” (From “The Arabs and The Turks.” 
Clark, p. 27.) 


The characteristics of a people with such an origin, 
interbred also as they are with tribes and races 
other than those from which they sprang, are very 
marked, and in many respects most admirable. 
These characteristics, however, are quite distinct, as 
between the two great divisions of the Arab people 
—Ahl el Beit, “the people of the tent,” and the Ahl 
el Heit, “the people of the wall,” or the nomadic 
tribes and the town dwellers, although of course 
they also have much in common. 


Of the Arab in general it can be said that they 
are undoubtedly one of the strongest and noblest 
races in the world. Baron de Larrey, Surgeon- 
General of the first Napoleon in his expedition to 
Egypt and Syria, says, “The physical structure of 
the Arab is in all respects more perfect than that 
of Europeans; the organs of sense exquisitely acute; 
the size above the average of men in general; the 
figure robust and elegant; the color brown; the 
intellect proportionate to the physical perfection, 
and without doubt superior, other things being equal, 
to that of other nations.” 

Mentally the Arab mind loves units, not unity. 
They are good soldiers but poor generals; there is 
no partnership in business, and no public spirit. 
Every man lives for himself under their ancient 
political condition of patriarchal or tribal control. 
Their love for “home rule’ and their persistent 


14 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


practice of it would delight the heart of a ‘Tammany 
politician. Clark, who has already been quoted, 
gives the following interesting description of Arab 
characteristics: “The several families, clans and 
tribes feebly adhere to each other in an almost per- 
fect individual freedom under the sheikhs or chiefs 
who are simply leaders with almost no executive 
power. Even the ‘kings’ were little else than the 
heads of great families, sheikhs of sheikhs. The 
several tribes acknowledge no superior and no law 
save the customs of the race. From the beginning, 
they have been a wild people, unconquerable, in- 
tractable, infusible, always wrangling in intermin- 
able feuds—true Ishmaelites (Gen. 16:12), always 
robbing and plundering at every opportunity, yet 
displaying many noble and redeeming qualities. 
Outside of his tribe, the true Arab had little concep- 
tion of any moral duty or relation whatever except 
as the result of a voluntary compact. But within 
that narrow circle, his conduct was often governed 
by a high and delicate moral sense. He was true 
and faithful, loving tenderly his wife and children, 
hospitable to the last degree, literally holding all 
that he had at the service of his guests and clans- 
men; temperate and chaste and stained with but 
few of the degrading vices which in later times have 
so often disgraced the Turks.” And Dr. Zwemer 
adds, “The Arabs are polite, goodnatured, lively, 
manly, patient, courageous and hospitable to a 
fault. ‘They are also contentious, untruthful, sen- 
suous, distrustful, covetous, proud and superstitious. 
One must always keep in mind this paradox in deal- 
ing with an Arab.” 


THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE 15 


Robbery among the nomads is a fine art but they 
rely on gaining their ends by surprise and superior 
force and avoid bloodshed if possible, because of the 
universal prevalence of the custom of “blood-re- 
venge’ which is often pursued to the bitter end by 
the family or tribe of the injured person. An Arab 
is considered degenerate who accepts a fine or any 
consideration save blood for blood. 

The position of women among the Arabs is 
strongly affected by the national and religious cus- 
toms. Polygamy is common, especially among the 
more wealthy classes, but is not universal. Marriage 
takes place at a very early age. Concubinage is 
freely practised. ‘The harem is an institution whose 
deadening influence is felt everywhere. Divorce 
from an undesirable wife is so easily achieved that 
all the husband has to say to his wife is, “Thou art 
divorced,’ and the separation is complete. It is 
said that these evils are less frequent among the 
Bedawin than among the town dwellers and that in 
the deserts the social relations and influences of the 
women upon the family and in public affairs are very 
much more marked than among their sisters in the 
villages. Doughty the explorer says: “The veil and 
the jealous lattice are rather indicative of the obscene 
Moslem austerity of the town; among the wild tent 
dwellers in the open wilderness the housewives have 
a liberty as where all are kindred; yet their hareem 
(women) are now seen in the most Arabian tribes 
half-veiled.” 

Modify it as you may, however, the subjection 
and social degradation among the Arab women are 
very great and an almost impassable gulf is fixed 


16 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


between them and their sisters in happier lands by 
the customs of age-long standing and by the sanc- 
tions of Islam, to which women in themselves are 
beings of inferior intellect and worth, the play- 
things and the slaves of men. It is for such that 
the messengers of the Gospel are especially sent “to 
bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to 
the captives and the opening of the prison to them 
that are bound.” (Isa. 61:1.) 


Cuapter ITI. 
HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION 
BIBLICAL REFERENCES 


The history of the people of Arabia dates from 
pre-Christian times, but is even for later periods 
neither full nor satisfactory. They are referred to in 
the Old Testament by a variety of names, sometimes 
tribal, sometimes more general, such as Ishmaelites 
(Gen. 37:12), Midianites (Gen. 37:36), Kedarenes 
or Nebataeans (Isa. 60:7), Edomites (Num. 20:14), 
Sabeans (Job 1:15), ete. The Queen of Sheba, 
who visited Solomon to prove him with hard ques- 
tions (I Kings 10:1), was an historical personage, 
the ruler of the South Arabian Kingdom of Sheba, 
or Saba, with its capital Mariaba or Mareb in Yemen, 
the district in which Aden at the entrance of the 
Red Sea is the town now best known to Europeans. 
Job also was without doubt an Arab; or if, as 
many think, the Book of Job is an ancient drama, 
with its central figure an idealized character, still 
the whole structure of the poem. is built about the 
facts and conditions of the great desert with its 
shifting sands, its widespread steppes and its star- 
studded canopy of the Eastern skies. (Job 38: 
31-32.) In a word, the early history of the Arabs 
is interwoven with that of all the surrounding peoples 
and marks them as a wild, roving, but prosperous 
and energetic race of the olden time. “Indeed,” as 
Clark says, “there seems to be but little reason to 


17 


18 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


doubt that the Cushite Kingdom in Southern Arabia 
was the seat of an advanced civilization and a far- 
reaching commercial activity long before the dawn 
of history. The Himyarites were the navigators of 
the East: and by their vessels a great and lucrative 
traffic between the Indies and the West was carried 
on. They also seem to have been no less remarkable 
for their manufacturing skill and industry than as 
carriers of merchandise. ‘They had a written lan- 
guage akin to the ancient Abyssinian, and were 
more permanent in their homes than their northern 
kinsfolk, having many important cities, whose riches 
and splendor are celebrated even by the great writers 
of Greece and Rome. On the other hand, the 
Ishmaelite Arabs, progenitors of those now known 
as the Bedawin, carried on an enormous overland 
trade by means of caravans, in which the whole 
people found employment and wealth. Two great 
caravan routes, the one leading north to Chaldea and 
Assyria, and the other west to Damascus and Egypt, 
were as regularly followed as any of the great over- 
land trade routes of today between the Atlantic and 
Pacific seaboards of our own land or the various 
trade centers of Europe and Asia. ‘The caravans 
which pursued these routes were like small armies 
in magnitude. They had their regular times of 
starting, passing the several stages, and of inter- 
secting other routes. Large towns grew up at the 
stations: while the great centers of the caravan trade, 
like Damascus, Palmyra and Petra, rose to rank 
among the famous cities of the world. It is during 
this period, which the Arabs call ‘Wakt-el-J ahiliyeh’ 
or “The Time of Ignorance,’ viz., the times when 


HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION 19 


the Arabs were ignorant of the true religion (Islam), 
that the Arabs enjoyed an almost absolute freedom 
from foreign occupation or domination. Neither the 
Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the 
ancient Persians, nor the Macedonians had ever 
subjugated or held any part of Arabia. But before 
the coming of the prophet, the proud freemen of 
the desert were compelled to put on the yoke of 
Roman, Abyssinian and Persian rulers. In A.D. 
105, Trajan subdued the Nabathean Kingdom of 
North Arabia. Mesopotamia and the eastern part 
of the peninsula were conquered by the Persians in 
A.D. 116. The Abyssinian domination of Yemen 
during the century preceding Mohammed lasted 
seventy-two years, until they were finally driven out 
by the Persians at the request of the Arabs; and in 
610 A.D. the Roman Emperor Heraclius named 
Othman, then a convert to Christianity, as Governor 
of Mecca. Thus the whole peninsula was awake to 
the touch of the Romans, the Abyssinians and the 
Persians and ready to rally around any banner that 
led to a national deliverance.” 

That banner proved to be the green standard of 
the Prophet and it was because of this long preced- 
ing preparation that it swept on to such a sudden 
and complete triumph. For when a prophet arose 
in the midst of his brethren who proclaimed not only 
a new religion but a new nationality and promised 
the sovereignty of the world to those who professed 
the true faith, it was no miracle nor mystery that, 
leaping like a wild fire from tribe to tribe and from 
land to land, Islam, with its simple yet powerful 
system and its enthusiastic, even if fanatical faith, 


20 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


within the course of three centuries swept from the 
deserts of Arabia to the pillars of Hercules and has 
now spread a broad band of green, not however as 
the symbol of religious fertility but of spiritual 
corruption, over the Near and Far East from 
Morocco to Malaysia. 


MOHAMMED 


We can, however, follow only a few of the steps 
of this marvellous career of this great leader. It 
was in A. D. 610 that Mohammed, then at the age 
of forty, began to declare his “revelations,” claiming 
to be the inspired prophet of God. His “commis- 
sion” he traced to a “vision” in which he saw a 
supernatural being, whether jinn or angel he could 
not tell, who said to him: 


“Recite in the name of the Lord thy Creator: 
He hath made man out of clots of blood. 
Speak out for thy Lord is the mightiest 
Of all who have instructed through the pen. 
He taught man what he did not know.” 


It was still many months, however, before the 
doctrines of the new religion, a curious compound of 
Paganism, Judaism, and Christianity, took definite 
form in his mind, and he began to preach them to 
his friends. His first convert was his wife, Kadijah; 
then Ali and Zeid, his adopted children; then others 
of his close friends and finally many others swore. 
allegiance to him as their leader. By this time the 
movement aroused the attention and the hostility of 
his kinsfolk and townsmen at Mecca, which finally 
became so pronounced that Mohammed was obliged 


HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION ~ 21 


to flee for his life and took refuge in the city of 
Medina, about 200 miles north of Mecca. This 
flight, or “Hegira,” took place in the year 622 A. D. 
and that date has ever since been regarded as the 
beginning of the chronology of the Moslem world. 

“The flight to Medina changed not only the scene, 
but the actor and the drama. . He who at Mecca 
was the preacher and the warner now became the 
legislator and warrior. The first year Mohammed 
built the great mosque and houses for his wives and 
his followers; the next year he began hostilities 
against the Koreish of Mecca and the first pitched 
battle was fought at Bedr, where his force of three 
hundred and five followers routed the enemy three 
times as strong.’ (From “Islam,” by Dr. S. M. 
Zwemer. ) 

From this point the Moslem faith advanced to 
the sound of swordstrokes and the fierce battlecry, 
“There is no God but God, and Mohammed is the 
prophet of God.” His success in his military expe- 
ditions was phenomenal; and although he lived but 
ten years after the Hegira, he saw, before his death 
in A. D. 682, the new religion established throughout 
Arabia. After this the history of Arabia and the 
history of Mohammedanism are practically one. 


ARABIAN CIVILIZATION 


A. word, however, must be said as to the kind and 
degree of civilization developed by the Arabians 
during the long period of their history as above out- 
lined. Situated as they were at the very cross- 
roads of the Near East, neighbors for hundreds of 


22 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


years to the civilizations of Egypt, Syria, Greece, 
Asia Minor, Babylonia and Persia, it was impossible 
for them not to be affected by the mental and 
material acquisitions of these peoples and not to 
reproduce or modify many of the results of others’ 
thought and activities in the various spheres of 
human industry. 

The Crusades (1025-1175) acquainted the ruder 
peoples of the North with a civilization in many ways 
far superior to their own, and not only corrected 
many silly misapprehensions of the character and 
attainments of the Saracenic peoples which had 
prevailed among the peoples of Europe but in- 
fluenced them so strongly in many ways that this 
first great contact of East and West gave birth in 
due time to the Renaissance of Art, Science and 
Literature which was so greatly to change the social, 
the economic, and even the philosophical and re- 
ligious character of the Christian world of the 
Mediaeval and Pre-Reformation ages. When the 
peoples of Europe came in touch with the civiliza- 
tion and education of the East, the men of the 
northern lands were first astonished and then stimu- 
lated to imitate them. The arts and sciences of 
Middle Europe and Britain of the 16th and 17th 
centuries were the inheritors of the Arabic and 
Saracenic civilization of previous centuries. 


LITERATURE 
Want of space forbids more than a brief synopsis 


of the Arabian arts and sciences developed among 
the Moslems. The original form of Arabian litera- 


HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION 23 


ture was poetry, which flourished at least 200 years 
before Mohammed, from which date have come down 
poems which in vigor and polish yield to few ever 
composed in the Arabian or any other language. 
“Yearly at the festival of Okad, the best masters 
of this art used to meet for the purpose of reciting 
their compositions and receiving the reward not only 
of applause but of more tangible advantages. Love 
and war had their inevitable share in the domain of 
verse and descriptions of scenery and nature also 
occur, but eulogies of chiefs, rulers and distinguished 
men formed a considerable portion of the poetry of 
the earlier days and a single ode or Kaseedah has 
been known to be rewarded with a hundred valuable 
camels or several thousand gold pieces.” (Encyclo- 
pedia Brittanica, 9th Ed., Vol. L., p. 268.) Prose 
writings were but little known before the Koran 
but later were more developed, largely in the form 
of the romance or novel of which the “Arabian 
Nights” is the most conspicuous example. It ap- 
peared first in Baghdad about the 11th century but 
has had many versions and has been translated into 
many of the languages of the modern world. . His- 
tory was never a strong point in Arabian literature 
but, on the contrary, books of religion and theology, 
such as glossaries, commentaries and meditations 
on the Koran, have been and still are legion in num- 
ber, although many of them though written in the 
Arabic language reflect the Persian, the Turkish 
and even the Byzantine rather than the genuine 
Arab mind. 
~The Arabian philosophy had its origin in the Neo- 
Flatonic schools of Syria and Persia but never de- 


24. THE ARABIAN MISSION 


veloped beyond an interpretation of the Greek 
philosophy, except as it was applied to the discovery 
and application of medical facts and it was in this 
regard that it exerted the most far-reaching influence 
in Kurope. As a pure mentality, however, it con- 
tributed but little toward shaping the course of 
scholastic thought. 


THE ARTS 


In architecture, music and the fine arts, the 
Arabians were for the most part copyists rather 
than originators. The art of building received but 
little attention till after the establishment of Islam, 
and the first mosques were built by Christian archi- 
tects from Constantinople and resembled Byzantine 
churches. Later the Arabian builders developed 
some characteristic features, such as the horseshoe 
arch, the dome and the minaret. Gradually they 
added fanciful ornamentation known as the Ara- 
besque, in which representations of vegetable forms 
and Arabic caligraphy predominated. ‘Their mosques 
always included a prayer niche (Mihrab) on the 
side toward Mecca; to the right of this a pulpit 
(Mimbar) and a fountain in the court, for the pur- 
poses of ceremonial ablution. There are no pews or 
sittings, the worshippers standing or sitting on the 
floor. The Alhambra at Granada, Spain, and the 
Taj Mahal at Agra, India, are two of the most 
beautiful specimens of Moorish or Arabian architec- 
ture ever built. 

But somewhat curiously it was the practical 
sciences and mechanical arts that were developed. 





THE TAJ MAHAL, AGRA 
(Courtesy of ‘‘Asia’’) 





HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION 25 


In medicine, surgery and chemistry, the Arabian 
Hakim developed no little skill. Regular schools of 
medicine were established at Damascus, Baghdad 
and Cairo, in which the works of Hippocrates and 
Galen, translated from the Greek, formed the basis 
of instruction. The canon of Ebn-Sina, with his 
Materia Medica, however, ultimately superceded 
every other work in Arabian schools. But neglect 
of anatomy and their horror of dissection rendered 
the Arabian surgery imperfect and their medicine 
empirical. Yet the study of botany and chemistry 
absorbed the attention of many Arabian students 
and many of the processes and products in use up 
to a very recent period were familiar to the early 
Arabs. In fact the numerous terms borrowed from 
the Arabic language, such as alcohol, alkali, alembic, 
and others still in use among modern apothecaries, 
show how deeply this science is indebted to Arabian 
research. 

In metallurgy their art in tempering and enamel- 
ling has become famous, nor did any sword blades 
ever rank higher than those of Damascus, nor any 
coppersmiths excel those of Baghdad, nor gold or 
silver workmanship that of Oman. Specimens of 
their skill in porcelain yet remain in Spain and Syria, 
while the terms “morocco” and “cordovan” attest 
their cleverness in preparing and dyeing leather. The 
pendulum and the semaphoric telegraph, if not 
invented by the Arabs, were introduced by them 
into Europe, as were also the manufacture of silk 
and cotton goods and the mariners’ compass, made 
known to the Arabs, it is thought, by the Chinese. 

As early as 706 A.D. writing paper was used 


26 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


at Mecca, whence it spread through all Arab lands 
and ultimately reached Europe. In the discovery 
or use of gunpowder so far back as the 11th century 
the Arabs’ claim to priority is contested alone by 
the Byzantine. “In a word, the literature and science 
of the Arab form a connecting link between the 
civilization of ancient and of modern times and the 
culture which they mtroduced into the countries 
which they conquered has in almost every instance 
outlasted the rule of the conquerors themselves. 'To 
the Arabs therefore, directly and indirectly, we owe 
the revival of learning and philosophy in Western 
Europe and the first awakening of a critical and 
inquiring spirit that in great measure rescued 
Europe from the lethargy of monkish ignorance and 
ecclesiastical bigotry: to them also, at least indirect- 
ly and by deduction, are due most of the useful arts 
and practical inventions laboriously perfected by 
later nations. Widespread as was the empire of the 
Arabian sword, it has been less extended and less 
durable than the empire of the Arabian mind.” 
(Encyclopedia Brittanica, 9th Ed., p. 265.) 


Cuapter III. 
RELIGION AND EDUCATION 


It is a singular and interesting fact that the two 
greatest and most widespread religions of the world, 
Christianity and Islam, had their origin in two 
lands, Palestine and Arabia, and among two peoples 
which, even in the days of their greatest development 
and glory, were among the smaller and least re-— 
garded of the lands and nations of the world. “Today 
these two religions contend for the mastery of the 
nations; two races, the Anglo-Saxon and the Arab, 
strive for the possession of Africa, the last of the 
great continents to be partitioned by the dominant 
races of mankind. Two languages have for ages 
past contested for world-wide expansion—the Eng- 
lish and the Arabic. Today about seventy million 
of people speak some form of the Arabic language 
as their vernacular: and nearly as many more know 
something of its language in the Koran because they 
are Mohammedans.” (“Cradle of Islam.’ Zwemer.) 

It is a language, moreover, that is worthy of such 
distinction, and has been characterized as “a pure 
and original speech of the greatest flexibility, with 
an enormous vocabulary, with great grammatical 
possibilities, fitted to convey theological and _ philo- 
sophical and scientific thought in a manner not to 
be excelled by any language except the English and 
that little group of languages (French, German 
and Italian) which have been so happily cultivated 
by Christianity in Central Europe.” 


27 


28 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


It is this language that gives expression to the 
Koran, the most influential of religious books that 
has ever been given to mankind, with the sole excep- 
tion of the Bible. Upon this book has been founded 
the faith of millions of the human race and to its 
precepts over one-eighth of the peoples of the earth 
now gives allegiance. The religion which is em- 
bodied in it must therefore be regarded as the great- 
est organized challenge to true Christianity now 
existing. 

THE RELIGION 


The history and character of its founder are re- 
ferred to in the previous chapter; here a_ brief 
sketch of the religion which he founded is necessary 
to explain the immense difficulties which confront 
Christian missions to the Moslem world. Schlegel, 
the German philosopher, has characterized Moham- 
med and his faith none too harshly when he speaks | 
of them as “A prophet without miracles; a faith 
without mysteries and a morality without love: 
which has encouraged a thirst for blood and which 
began and ended in the most unbounded sensuality.” 
Yet it is but right that we should state with fairness 
at least the outlines of the Moslem creed, although 
it is equally necessary to bear in mind that the 
requirements of these articles of faith and the lives 
of those who profess them are frequently not 
harmonious and that even the best and purest teach- 
ings of Islam are far below the standards of the 
Christian faith, however much these also may be 
violated by the inconsistencies of their professed 
followers. 


RELIGION AND EDUCATION 29 


The Moslem religion is extraordinary in its nature 
and influence. In the first place, it is one of the 
great missionary religions of the world and requires 
each believer to propagate his faith, bemg in accord 
in this respect with Christianity and Buddhism, 
the other two great missionary faiths. Then it has 
the shortest creed in the world and one whose utter- 
ance has probably more power over those who 
believe it than any other creed known to the religious 
world. “It is so brief that it has needed no revision 
for thirteen centuries. It is taught to infants and 
whispered in the ears of the dying. Five times a 
day it rings out in the call to prayer in the whole 
Moslem world: ‘La ilaha illa-llah; wa Muhammadu- 
rrasulu-llah,’ “There is no God but God: and 
Mohammed is the apostle of God.’ On every occa- 
sion this creed is repeated by the believer. It is 
the key to every door of difficulty. It is the watch- 
word of Islam. One hears rt in the bazaar and the 
street and the mosque; it is a battle cry and a cradle 
song, an exclamation of delight and a funeral dirge.” 
(“The Moslem World,” p. 69.) 

The Moslem articles of faith are almost as brief. 
They are but six in number, concerning God, His 
Angels, His Books, His Prophets, the Day of 
Judgment, and Predestination of Good and Evil. A 
word or two on each must suffice. 


THE DOCTRINE OF ISLAM 
“The monotheism or doctrine of One God has been 


highly extolled by many Christians as well as Mos- 
lem apologists but as a matter of fact it is vastly 


30 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


different from that of Moses or Christ. Johannes 
Hauri, in his classical study of Islam, speaks dis- 
criminatingly of it when he says: ‘What Mohammed 
tells us of God’s omnipotence, justice, goodness and 
merey, sounds for the most part very well indeed 
and might easily awaken the idea that there is no 
real difference between his God and the God of 
Christianity. But Mohammed’s monotheism was 
just as much a departure from true monotheism as 
the polytheistic ideas prevalent in the corrupt Orien- 
tal churches. Mohammed’s idea of God is out and 
out deistic. God and the world are in exclusive 
external and eternal opposition. Of an entrance of 
God into the world or of any sort of human fellow- 
ship with God he knows nothing. This is the reason 
Islam received the warm sympathies of English 
deists and German rationalists: they found in its 
idea of God bone of their bone and flesh of their 
flesh.” (“The Moslem Doctrine of God.” Zwemer.) 


The Moslem belief in angels is not theoretical, 
but very practical. It recognizes three species of 
spiritual beings: angels, jinn, and devils. Angels are 
attending spirits; each person has two, one of whom 
records his good deeds, and the other his evil acts. 
Jinn, or genil, an intermediate creation between 
angels and men, are either good or evil. “The 
Arabian Nights” gives one an idea of the Moham- 
medan faith in this article, and it is to be remembered 
that its stories about genii, which we accept only as 
tales of the imagination, are firmly believed in as 
realities by the Moslems. 

“The Koran is the Bible of the Moslem faith. It 
is a little smaller than the New Testament in bulk, 


RELIGION AND EDUCATION 31 


and has one hundred and fourteen chapters, each 
bearing some fanciful title. The book has no chrono- 
logical order and its jumbled verses are thrown 
together piecemeal—fact and fancy, laws and leg- 
ends, prayers and imprecations. Without a com- 
mentary it is unintelligible, even to Moslems.” (“The 
Moslem World,” p. 62.) The Koran has many 
historical errors; it contains monstrous fables; it 
teaches a false cosmogony; it is full of superstitions; 
it perpetuates slavery, polygamy, divorce, religious 
intolerance, the seclusion and degradation of women, 
and it petrifies social life. 

As to the Moslem faith in prophets, it is Labatt 
to say that it teaches that there are 124,000 prophets 
and 315 apostles. Of these six are especially noted: 
Adam, the Chosen of God; Noah, the Preacher of 
God; Abraham, the Friend of God; Moses, the 
Spokesman of God; Jesus, the Word of God, and 
Mohammed, the Apostle of God. Above all, how- 
ever, Mohammed is loved and reverenced, and the 
description of the others, especially that of Jesus 
Christ, is too often a sad caricature of the truth and 
amounts to blasphemy. 

Mohammedans believe in a literal resurrection of 
the body and an everlasting life of physical joys or 
tortures. Paradise is a scene of sexual delights and 
bodily gratifications, while Gehenna or Hell is the 
deprivation of all these, with the addition of inde- 
scribable physical torments. 

The article on Predestination is the only philoso- 
phy of Islam, and a most fertile creed in its effects 
on everyday life. God wills both good and evil, and 
there is no escaping from the caprice of His decree. 


32 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Religion is Islam, that is, resignation. Fatalism has 
paralyzed progress. As says Canon Sell: “It is this 
dark fatalism which, whatever the Koran may teach 
on the subject, is the ruling principle in all Moslem 
countries. It is this which makes all Mohammedan 
nations decay.” 


THE DUTIES OF ISLAM 


The five religious duties of Moslems are Confes- 
sion, Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving, and Pilgrimage. 
Confession is the repetition of the creed, “There is 
no ‘god but God; Mohammed is the apostle of God.” 
It intermingles with every affair of life and soon 
comes to be like the “tale, . . . full of sound and 
fury, signifying nothing.” Prayer to the Moslem is 
a very different thing from the idea of Christian 
prayer. The one who prays must be prepared for 
it by legal purification, washing with water or sand, 
and must face toward the sacred shrine of Mecca. 
The prayers, for the most part, are the repetition 
of phrases and short chapters from the Koran, and 
the whole tends to degenerate into formalism and 
vain repetitions. How could it be otherwise when 
a pious Moslem must repeat the same form of 
prayer five times a day? 

The month of fasting, or Ramazan, may have been 
borrowed from the Christian Lent. It is more of a 
fast in name than in deed, for though no drop of 
water or morsel of food may be taken during the 
daylight hours, an abundant recompense is made 
for this self-denial in the feasting, which sometimes 
lasts throughout the night. Almsgiving is generally 
observed by pious Mohammedans, but instead of the 


RELIGION AND EDUCATION 33 


tithe of the Jews or the free liberality of the Chris- 
tians, about one-fortieth of the total income is the 
usual rate of the “Zakat.” 


The Pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the strongest 
bonds of union in the whole system of Mohamme- 
danism. It cements the fellowship of Moslems of 
all nations and turns every pilgrim into a fanatical 
missionary of his creed. ‘This pilgrimage is incum- 
bent on every free Moslem, male or female, who is 
of age and can afford it. Many, however, unwillnmg 
to undergo the hardship of the journey, engage a 
substitute and thus purchase the merit for them- 
selves. Arriving at Mecca, the ceremonies in which 
the pilgrim engages are of the most puerile character. 
The whole pilgrimage, as some Moslems confess, is 
a fragment of incomprehensible heathenism taken up 
undigested into Islam. 

A fact to be noted in the study of Mohammedan- 
ism is that it is the fourth in point of numbers 
among the great religions of the earth, and also 
that with the single exception of Christianity it is 
the most widespread of any of the faiths of mankind. 
The lands which it occupies “stretch across two con- 
tinents and out into the islands of the sea like a vast 
horn or crescent. The horn’s tip end is far out in 
the South Sea Islands, among the Moros in the 
Philippines and in the Dutch East Indies, where in 
Java alone there are 30,000,000 Mohammedans. 
Thence it curves through British Malaysia where 
there are some 2,000,000, past China where there 
are, it is estimated, not fewer than 10,000,000, to 
India where are gathered 67,000,000, the largest 
number under any one rule. Then come Afghanis- 


34 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


tan, exclusively Mohammedan, unknown numbers in 
Central Asia, part of Russia, Persia, Mesopotamia, 
Asia Minor, European Turkey, Syria, Palestine, 
Arabia,—solidly Moslem,—Egypt, Libya, Tunis, Al- 
geria, Morocco, until the great open end of the horn 
stretches westward from the Sudan across Africa, 
steadily engulfing the northernmost negro tribes.” 
(“The Kingdom and the Nations.” North.) 

The total population of this great Moslem world, 
according to a carefully prepared estimate made 
for ‘The Moslem World, is 201,296,696. Of these 
90,478,111 are under British rule or protection and 
76,596,299 under other Western or Christian govern- 
ments. This leaves only 34,222,366 Mohammedans 
not under Western governments, and of this number 
only 13,278,800 are under the Caliphate in the Otto- 
man Kimpire.* 

With these facts in mind, it does not seem so 
strange that from the Crusades of the Eleventh 
Century to the World War of the Twentieth Cen- 
tury the “Mohammedan problem” has projected 
itself into every question which has arisen concerning 
the political, social or religious welfare of vast 
numbers of the inhabitants of Asia, Africa, Southern 
Kurope and the islands of the sea. 

It must not, however, be thought that all Moham- 
medans, nor even all Arabian Mohammedans, are 
strictly orthodox. Indeed it would seem as if all 
Islam were “predestinated” to be divided into many 
sects, as even the Prophet himself once declared, 





* With the constantly changing conditions in the Near East the ac- 
curacy of these figures cannot be guaranteed. They may, however, be 
considered as proportionately and approximately correct. 


RELIGION AND EDUCATION 35 


“Verily it will happen to my people even as it did 
unto the Children of Israel. The Children of Israel 
were divided into 72 sects and my people will be 
divided into 73. Every one of these sects will go 
to hell except one sect.” 

As a matter of fact, the number of Moslem sects 
has far exceeded the prediction of Mohammed, for 
they are more in number and variety than those of 
the Christian religion. Several of the sects, especially 
the orthodox Sunnis, arrogate to themselves the 
title of Majiyah, or “those who are being saved.” 
Most of them agree with the dictum of the Prophet 
that there is no salvation for heretics: while for 
rancor, bitterness, hatred and bloodshed, the sad 
divisions of Christendom are far outmatched by the 
history of the sects in Islam. Sheikh Abd ul Kader 
says there are no less than 150 sects in Islam, of 
which we can here name but a few of the leading 
divisions—the Sunnis, the Shiahs, the Sufis, and 
the reform movement of the Wahhabis. 


THE SUNNIS 


The Sunnis far outnumber all others today and 
have been most influential in the history of Islam. 
As the name implies (Sunna= tradition) they are the 
followers of tradition and the foe of all innovation. 
To them the Koran is the Procrustean bed for the 
human intellect. Everything is measured by it and 
by orthodox tradition. 'They have four orthodox 
schools of theology founded by the four great doctors, 
Abu Hanifa, Ibn Malik, As Shafi and Ibn Hanbal. 
These doctors and the sects they have founded agree 


36 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


in the faith and practice of Islam as outlined above, 
but differ in the interpretation of ceremonial laws 
and are more or less rigid. Generally speaking, 
Central Asia, Northern India and the Turks every- 
where are Hanifite; lower Egypt, southern India 
and the Malay archipelago are Shafite; upper Egypt 
and North Africa are Malikite; while the sect of 
Hanbalites exists only in Central and Eastern 
Arabia. 


THE SHIAHS 


The members of the Shiah sect are partizans of 
the house of Ali (the son-in-law of Mohammed) 
and assert that he should have been the first of the 
Caliphs after Mohammed’s death. The chief point 
of difference between the Sunnis and the Shiahs, 
however, is the doctrine of the Imamate. ‘This con- 
sists in the belief that the “light of Mohammed” 
(viz., his spiritual wisdom and power) descended to 
Ali and from him passed to the true Imams or 
religious leaders. ‘The Imam is the successor of the 
Prophet: he is free from all sin and his authority is 
infallible. There have been twelve regular _Imams 
according to Shiah belief, the last of whom is sup- 
posed to be still alive though hidden from mortal 
view. He is the Mahdi or expected Guide ‘who 
will fill the earth with justice even though it be 
covered with tyranny.” ‘This expected Mahdi has 
always been the hope of Mohammedan fanaticism 
and faith. It would seem as if this dogma might 
to some extent reconcile the thoughtful Shiah to the 
Christian doctrine of the incarnation and mediation 
of Jesus Christ and to the acceptance of His office 


RELIGION AND EDUCATION 37 


as the perfect revealer of God’s will and our Guide 
in life; but it is not so. The Shiah looks upon the 
ceremonial and moral law as restrictions imposed 
upon us by the Almighty, and the advent of the 
Mahdi is the good time when all such restrictions 
shall be removed and the utmost freedom shall be 
allowed. ‘Thus the moral sense in many of these 
people is deadened to an extent which we can hardly 
credit. 


THE SUFIS 


Sufiism is a system of mysticism which arose as 
a protest against the barren formalism of the ritual 
and the deadness of the doctrine of orthodox Islam. 
In its earlier days it taught and practiced the virtue 
of spending one’s time in worship and in fleeing the 
pleasures of the world. Its later development was 
pantheistic and speculative rather than ascetic in 
character. Among the leading points of doctrine 
are that God alone exists, that there is no real dis- 
tinction between good and evil, that man has no 
real free-will and that the chief duty, while in the 
body, is to meditate on God’s unity and His attri- 
butes and so to progress in the journey of life. 

The Dervish orders are the direct result of Sufiism. 
They are one of the most powerful factors in present 
day Islam although they are not in favor with 
orthodox Moslems. All of them are absolutely 
obedient to the spiritual leaders or Sheikhs and the 
various orders are bound together by secret oaths 
and symbols after the manner of Free Masonry. 
There are 82 orders of Dervishes founded by various 
leaders. ‘Their influence is widespread and is every- 


38 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


where opposed to Christianity and Christian govern- 
ment. 


THE WAHHABIS 


The Wahhabis, who are today the most influential 
sect of Islam in Arabia, arose in the early part of 
the 18th century. The founder and first leader was 
Mohammed Bin Abd ul Wahhab (born 1691), who 
was discouraged at the corruptions of the “orthodox” 
Mohammedans and made an honest attempt to re- 
form or renew Islam on radical lines. He tried 
to distinguish between the essential elements of 
Islam and its later additions, some of which seemed 
to savor of gross idolatry and worldliness. What 
most offended his rigid monotheism was the almost 
universal visitation of shrines, invocations of saints 
and the honor paid at the tomb of Mohammed. 
These and other departures from the rigid doctrine 
and practice of Mohammed and his earlier suc- 
cessors were indications to Abd ul Wahhab of the 
great need of reform. Therefore he not only 
preached reform but proclaimed himself the leader 
of a new Jthad, or crusade or religious war. His 
teaching was based on the Koran and early tradi- 
tions; his sword was found in the deserts of Arabia 
and his followers fought as did the followers of the 
Prophet to destroy all infidels. At first the suc- 
cesses of the Wahhabis, like those of early Islam, 
were notable. They held the holy cities (Mecca 
and Medina) and nearly all Arabia except Yemen 
under their sway, and threatened to subdue even 
Mesopotamia and Syria. Their power over the 
coastal territory was, however, reduced by Egyptian 


RELIGION AND EDUCATION 39 


forces acting for the Turkish government (1812-15) 
but they retained their hold on Central Arabia and 
are still a powerful force both political and religious. 
Their attempted spiritual reform of Islam has, how- 
ever, almost entirely failed. 


FRUITS OF ISLAM 


To sum it all up: what then are the principles of 
Islam as governing civilization, leaving aside the 
question as to how far the civilization lives up to 
its principles? “They are roughly—the absolute 
power of the Caliph, successor to Mohammed, 1.e., 
despotism without representative government; the 
complete absence of freedom; permanent slavery 
tempered by kindness; polygamy and concubinage 
and the system of the harem or veil, tempered again 
by kindness to the women who have, however, no 
rights; temperance; a repudiation of theft, falsehood, 
murder and adultery by those who, however, practise 
all these sins without restraint; the world-brother- 
hood of Moslems; propaganda by the sword; and 
the Jihad, or holy war, for the extermination of the 
infidel. If such a system is Islam and if it is 
incapable of reform then civilization under Islam 
must be evil in itself and can have no principle of 
recovery or progress within itself.” (“Riddle of the 
Near East,” Basil Matthews, p. 110.) 

But if their religion at its best can do so little for 
the Moslems, how about the cultivation of the mind? 
What part does this play in the regeneration of the 
Moslem world? “One would think that a religion 
which almost worships its sacred book and was once 


40 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


mistress of science and literature would in its 
onward sweep have enlightened the nations. But 
facts are stubborn things. Careful investigations 
show that 75% to 100% of the Moslems in Africa 
are unable to read or write. In Tripoli, 90% are 
illiterate; in Egypt, 88%; in Algiers over 90%. In 
Arabia there has been scant intellectual progress 
since the “Time of Ignorance’ before Mohammed 
when the tribes used to gather at Okad to compete 
in poetry and eloquence. The Bedawin are almost 
all illiterate and in spite of the Wahhabi revival and 
the attempts of the Turkish officials to open schools, 
there is little that deserves the name of education 
even in the large towns of Arabia. ‘The youths learn 
to read the Koran not that they may understand its 
meaning but to drone it out professionally at funer- 
als and feasts at so many chapters for so many 
shekels. Modern science and history are not even 
mentioned, much less taught, even in the high schools 
of Mecca. Grammar, prosody, calligraphy, Arabian 
history and the first elements of arithmetic, but chief- 
ly the Koran with its commentaries and traditions 
form the curriculum of the Mohammedan ‘college’. 
Fiven the great ‘University’ of Al Azhar at Cairo 
with its 12,000 pupils is but little in advance of other 
institutions and its emphasis on tradition and routine 
is little calculated to properly awaken or develop the 
intellectual nature of its pupils. If these things are 
true concerning the ‘higher’ education of Arabia, 
what encouraging word can be spoken of the intellec- 
tual condition of the masses of the people? 

“Yet the Arabian mind is now stirring and its 
leaders are becoming more and more convinced that 


ANOL V 





V UWHAVUd 








RELIGION AND EDUCATION 41 


in the education of the people alone is to be found 
the means to emancipate them from the degradation 
of mind and life into which so many of them have 
fallen. May they also learn the greatest of all les- 
sons, that Christ and He only can cause the light of 
truth, of righteousness and of prosperity to ‘shine 
out of darkness.’” (““Islam,” Zwemer, pp. 176-178.) 


CHAPTER LV. 
EARLY CONTACT WITH CHRISTIANITY 


Geographically situated in the heart of the “Near 
East” and with many points of contact with Pales- 
tine, Asia Minor and Africa, the early homes of 
Christianity, it is not strange that from the earliest 
times the people of Arabia were touched by the 
influence of that faith. 


PAUL IN ARABIA 


The first representative of the Christian religion 
to enter Arabia of whom we know with any cer- 
tainty was the Apostle Paul, who himself tells us 
(Gal. 1:16-18) that immediately after his conver- 
sion on the Damascus road “I went into Arabia.” 
Canon Farrar, in his “Life of St. Paul,’ reasons 
with his usual fullness and clearness of argument, 
that the scene of this retirement was the Sinaitic 
peninsula and that it lasted the greater part of three 
years. ‘This period was no doubt largely devoted by 
Paul to meditation on the truths which were revealed 
to him and to spiritual preparation for the great 
work of the statement and defense of Christian 
doctrine, in which the remainder of his life was to 
be spent. But it is also highly probable, indeed it 
is practically certain, that one who had the nature 
of Paul and who had passed through the wonderful 


A2 


CONTACT WITH CHRISTIANITY 48 


experiences which marked his conversion, spent some, 
perhaps much, of his time in “preaching Christ 
among the heathen,” thus becoming the first mis- 
sionary of Christianity to the Arabians. 


EARLY CENTURIES 


We must remember, however, that St. Paul’s stay 
in Arabia was more than 600 years before the false 
Prophet appeared, and he therefore preached Chris- 
tianity not to Mohammedans, for there were then 
none such in the world, but to the heathen tribes 
either of the more settled country of Southern Syria 
or of the Bedawin, who then as now roved over the 
sands and rocks of Arabia Petraea and the adja- 
cent country. The records of the earliest successors 
of this Apostolic ministry are few and uncertain. 
However, we do know that Christianity early pene- 
trated to the people of North Arabia and made 
rapid and considerable progress among them, for 
the Bishop of Bostra in northwestern Arabia, with 
five other Arabian Bishops, is mentioned as being 
present at the Council of Nicaea (A. D. 325). In 
southwestern Arabia (Yemen) Christianity was 
more firmly established and became a strong politi- 
cal power which endured for nearly 200 years, but 
was brought to a close by the great “Battle of the 
Elephant” in 568 A.D. when the Christian hosts of 
Yemen were defeated by the tribes of the Koreish, 
fighting in defence of their sacred city of Mecca and 
the “Black Stone,” a meteorite which was once a 
heathen idol but is now the sacred stone of Islam. 
This battle, which marked the begining of the 


4A THE ARABIAN MISSION 


swift decay of Christianity in Arabia, is celebrated in 
the Koran by the chapter called ‘The Elephant.” 

However, speaking in general of Christian mis- 
sions to Moslems, we are forced to acknowledge that 
in the earlier centuries the Christian Church paid 
but little heed to the work of preaching the Gospel 
to the followers of Mohammed. Conquering so 
many nominally Christian peoples by force of arms, 
the faith of the Crescent flourished side by side with 
that of the Cross in the large area adjacent to the 
eastern and southern shores of the Mediterranean 
sea, until its virus had poisoned the faith and life 
of the Christian churches and had gradually con- 
formed the Christian world of Asia Minor, Syria, 
Mesopotamia, Arabia, North Africa, and other 
lands to the will of the Prophet. The Crusades 
(A. D. 1025-1275), though they brought together 
Christian and Saracen in a mutual knowledge before 
unknown, were not an attempt to preach the Gospel 
of love but the gospel of force to the Moslems and 
'so failed of their purpose and instead of lowering 
or lessening “the middle wall of partition” between 
them builded it higher and stronger than ever before. 
There were but very few Christians during the first 
thousand years of the existence of Mohammedanism 
who cared or dared to lift their voices in the effort 
to show the falsity of a philosophy and a creed that 
denied the worth and power of Jesus Christ. John 
of Damascus (754), Peter the Venerable (1157) 
and Francis d’ Assisi (1226) were among the few 
who endeavored by book or speech to preach the 
faith of the Prophet of Nazareth to the people of 
the Prophet of Mecca. 


CONTACT WITH CHRISTIANITY 45 


RAYMOND LULL 


But most notable of all was Raymond Lull (A. D. 
1235-1315) who forsook a life of sensuous pleasure 
at the Court of the King of Aragon in Spain, to 
devote his fortune and his labors to the service of 
Christ in the conversion of Moslems. ‘The following 
interesting account is given of him by Thomas Smith 
in “Mediaeval Missions”: “Take him for all in all, 
Raymond Lull was one of the most remarkable men 
that ever lived; a man pervaded with one idea, that 
of the conversion of the Mohammedans, but with 
an endless diversity of contrivances for the realiza- 
tion of that idea’; a man “who wrote more books 
than almost any man would be able in a lifetime to 
transcribe; a man who with the sentence of death 
passed upon him in his 56th year and again in his 
70th and in each case only commuted for such 
torments as only Mohammedan fanaticism could 
inflict, yet continued his work of writing and preach- 
ing and travelling till he reached fourscore years: 
the only man from the days of Mohammed until 
quite recent times who ever succeeded in converting 
to the faith of the Gospel any considerable number 
of Mohammedans residing in a country under Mo- 
hammedan government.” His method was that of 
philosophic reasoning to show the supremeness of 
the Christian faith over that of the Moslem. His 
mistake was in his failure to realize that the con- 
viction of the mind does not necessarily effect the 
- conversion of the heart. And yet no more out- 
standing figure has appeared among the missionaries 
of the Christian Church. ‘“Neander does not hesi- 


46 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


tate to compare him to Anselm, whom he resembled 
in possessing the threefold talents uncommon among 
men and so seldom found in one character—a power- 
ful intellect, a loving heart and efficiency in practical 
things. If we acknowledge that Lull possessed 
these three divine gifts we at once place him at the 
front as the true type of what a missionary to 
Moslems should be today, and so he whom Heffer- 
lich calls ‘the most remarkable figure of the Middle 
Ages’ ‘being dead yet speaketh.’ 

“But when that ‘remarkable figure’ so. full of 
love and faith and mental power fell, as did the 
martyr Stephen, beneath a shower of stones hurled 
at him by a fanatical Moslem mob on the shores of 
the Mediterranean Sea, near Bugia in Tunis, North 
Africa, the voice of the Christian testimony against 
the errors of Islam was stilled for many centuries. 
For 500 years thereafter no human voice publicly 
‘proclaimed Christ to the Mohammedans.” (‘“Ray- 
mond Lull.” Zwemer.) | 

This silence was not broken until the saintly 
Henry Martyn stepped on Arabian soil at Muscat 
(A. D. 1811). He stayed there but a short time 
but his Arabic version of the New Testament, trans- 
lated by the help of a converted Arab named Sabat, 
was one means of reintroducing the knowledge of 
Christianity into the Peninsula. Though most of 
his direct missionary work was done in India and 
Persia, his brief visit to Arabia and his enthusiasm 
concerning its people aroused once more an interest 
in the evangelization of the Arabian people which 
has continued to grow from his day to this. 


CONTACT WITH CHRISTIANITY 47 


MODERN CONTACTS 


Among other names of those who in these earlier 
days attempted to touch Arabia with the word of 
God, Dr. Zwemer mentions those of the Plymouth 
Brother, Anthony N. Graves, a dentist of Exeter 
(England) who, taking the commands of Christ 
literally, sold all that he had and in the spirit of 
Martyn began in 1829 his remarkable attempt at 
mission work in Baghdad. In 1843 Dr. John Wilson 
of Bombay sent Bible colporteurs once and again 
to Aden and up the Persian Gulf. In 1878 the 
British and Foreign Bible Society sent Anton Gibrail 
from Bombay to Baghdad on a colporteur journey 
about the same time Mr. James Watt visited 
Persia and Baghdad and, with the help of the Rev. 
Robert Bruce, a missionary of the Church Mission- 
ary Society, Bible work was opened in Baghdad in 
1880. In 1886 the British and Foreign Bible 
Society opened a Bible depository in Aden and col- 
porteurs of this Society from Egypt and from Aden 
have once and again visited the Arabian Red Sea 
ports and penetrated to Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. 


GENERAL HAIG 


‘About 1880, a Christian officer of the British 
Army, Major General F. T. Haig, began to take a 
deep and active interest in missions to Arabia and 
made an extensive journey all around the coast of 
Arabia and into the interior of Yemen. His articles 
pleading for the occupation of the Peninsula reached 
Keith Falconer and finally decided his choice of a 


48 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


particular field in the whole Mohammedan world to 
which his thoughts were already turned. It was 
also the experience and counsel of General Haig 
that helped to determine the final location as well 
as the preliminary explorations of the American 
missionaries of the Arabian Mission in 1890-92. 
His reports are even today the best condensed state- 
ments of the needs and opportunities of the long- 
neglected Peninsula, while his accounts of the prob- 
lems to be met and the right sort of men to meet 
them will always remain invaluable till the evan- 
gelization of Arabia is an accomplished fact.” (From 
“Arabia, Cradle of Islam,” p. 322.) 

It remains but to mention, among these earlier 
pioneers, two great missionaries to Moslems whose 
example and experience and wisdom did much to 
direct and inspire the faith of those who planted on 
the rocky shores of East Arabia the work that after 
many years is bearing fruit upon the sterile soil of 
Arabia to the glory of God and the spiritual refresh- 
ing of the misguided followers of the Prophet of 
Mecca. 


BISHOP FRENCH 


Bishop Thomas Valpy French was a most devoted 
and highly educated missionary of the Church Mis- 
sionary Society (Church of England) whose fruitful 
labors were largely spent in the cause of Christian 
education in India. He was called by the natives 
the “Seven ‘Tongued Man” because he could preach 
in six languages besides the English, five being 
Indian dialects and one the Arabic. Besides these 
he could use the Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Sanskrit 


CONTACT WITH CHRISTIANITY 49 


and German languages, thus giving him the mastery 
of eleven languages and making him almost if not 
quite the linguistic equal of his famous predecessor 
in the India mission field—William Carey. Bishop 
French was always deeply interested in the conver- 
sion of the Moslems. While still in India he learned 
Arabie and worked among Mohammedans as _ he 
could, even engaging in discussions with their 
learned men. But as time wore on and especially 
after the death of Keith Falconer, and inspired by 
an appeal from Mackay of Uganda for Arabia, Dr. 
French’s desire to enter upon distinctive work for 
the Arabs became so intense that after forty years 
of missionary service and at the age of nearly sixty- 
six he resigned his bishopric and his work in India 
and almost alone set out on an attempt to explore 
the east coast of Arabia, mtending to press on into 
the interior and there establish a permanent mission 
at some suitable point. On his journey down the 
Red Sea he met with the two pioneer missionaries of 
the American Arabian Mission, the Rev. Samuel M. 
Zwemer, and the Rev. James Cantine, who were 
then seeking a location for the first permanent work 
of the mission, and his intense sympathy and rich 
experience were of incalculable value to these young 
men who had been led by God to undertake work 
similar to that in which he himself was engaged. 
This providential meeting with the young Ameri- 
can missionaries seemed as but an opportunity for 
the aged Bishop to hand over the flag of the Chris- 
tian advance to his young brothers in the faith, for 
in less than four months after this meeting on the 
Red Sea, while on his way from Muscat to Birkah 


50 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


im an open boat, Bishop French was smitten with 
a sunstroke on April 14, 1891, and passed away at 
Muscat without regaining consciousness. 

In a poem written in his memory by Archdeacon 
A. EK. Moule these verses occur, which aptly epito- 
mize much of the aged missionary’s life and work: 


“Where Muscat fronts the Orient sun 
"Twixt heaving sea and rocky steep, 
His work of mercy scarce begun, 
A saintly soul has fallen asleep: 
Who comes to lift the Cross instead? 
Who takes the standard from the dead? 


“Where under India’s glowing sky 
Agra the proud, and strong Lahore 
Lift roof and gleaming dome on high 
His ‘seven toned’ tongue is heard no more: 
Who comes to sound alarm instead? 
Who takes the clarion from the dead? 


“Where white camps mark the Afghan’s bound, 
From Indus to Suleiman’s range, 

Through many a gorge and upland sound 
Tidings of joy divinely strange: 

But there they miss his eager tread; 

Who comes to toil then for the dead? 


“O Eastern-lover from the West! 
Thou hast outsoared these prisoning bars; 
Thy memory on Thy Master’s breast, 
Uplifts us like the beckoning stars, 
We follow now as thou hast led; 
Baptize us, Saviour, for the dead!” 


CONTACT WITH CHRISTIANITY 51 


KEITH FALCONER 


The real pioneer, however, in the history of mod- 
ern missions to Arabia is Ion Keith Falconer, 
because the work which he established at Aden 
sounded the first note of systematic and permanent 
advance in the march of the messengers of glad 
tidings to the children of Ishmael. The following’ 
account of his work is taken from Dr. James L. 
Barton’s succinct statement in his “Christian Ap- 
proach to Islam’”:—Ion Grant Neville Keith Fal- 
coner, the third son of the Earl of Kintore, was 
born in Edinburgh July 5, 1856. He was reared 
by a God-fearing mother and having accepted Christ 
with an unquestioning faith, by a series of events, he 
came to be interested in the Mohammedan world and 
its conversion. In 1874 he became an undergraduate 
in Cambridge University and a student of Trinity 
College. His special study was mathematics, but 
he also gained distinction in Greek, Church History, 
Divinity and Hebrew, in which language he was 
able to compose with accuracy and elegance. After 
his graduation he settled down in residence at Cam- 
bridge and took up the study of Syriac and Arabic. 


In 1875 Keith Falconer came into contact with 
Dwight L. Moody who was then on a visit to 
England in an evangelistic campaign, and in Mr. 
Moody’s meetings at Oxford he made his first 
attempt to speak in public, and thus began his par- 
ticipation in aggressive Christian work. He fol- 
lowed with deep interest the news of General 
Gordon’s expedition for the relief of Khartum and 
when he learned of the treachery of the Moslems 


52 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


and the bloody death of Gordon he received a mighty 
impulse to give his life for Christianizing the Mos- 
lems. After a visit to Leipzig, he went to Egypt, 
making his home at Assiut on the Nile for a more 
thorough study of the Arabic language. Later he 
returned to England and after further studies and 
participation in special evangelistic work he turned 
his attention toward Aden at the southwestern ex- 
tremity of Arabia. Here he proposed to devote 
himself to presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ 
through the Arabic language to the Arabs of 
Arabia. His zeal burned high and his faith was 
strong as he took up his work at Sheikh Othman, 
a little native village about eight miles inland from 
Aden, in 1885. ‘There was here a special opening 
for a medical mission which he regarded as one of 
the most valuable means of approach to Moslems 
and which has indeed proved to be such, not only in 
the case of the Aden Mission but in all other similar 
work in Arabia. He had hitherto been working 
without being attached to any missionary society, 
but feeling that such an attachment would help him 
he applied for and received his appointment as a 
missionary of the Committee of the Free Church of 
Scotland. Returning to Scotland, he appealed for 
the equipment of a hospital and medical work, and 
made an impassioned plea before the Free Church 
General Assembly for taking up missionary work 
among Mohammedans. He returned again to his 
beloved work in Arabia, but in just six months after 
he left England full of hope and joyous anticipation, 
he was seized with the last attack of a succession of 
malarial fevers and passed away on May 10, 1887. 


CONTACT WITH CHRISTIANITY 53 


Keith Falconer did not live long, but he lived 
long enough to do what he had purposed—‘‘to call 
_attention to Arabia.” The workman fell but the 
work did not cease. The Free Church asked for 
one volunteer to step into his place, and thirteen of 
the graduating class of New College (Cambridge) 
responded. By the story of Keith Falconer’s life 
ten thousand lives have been spiritually quickened to 
think of the foreign field and its claims. He “being 
dead yet speaketh” and will continue to speak until 
Arabia is evangelized. Every future missionary to 
Arabia and every friend of missions who reads 
Falconer’s life will approve the appropriateness of 
the simple inscription on his grave at Aden: 


TO 
THE DEAR MEMORY OF 

THE HON. ION KEITH FALCONER 

THIRD SON OF 
THE EARL AND COUNTESS OF KINTORE 
WHO ENTERED INTO REST 

AT SHEIKH OTHMAN—MAY 11, 1887 

AGED 30 YEARS 


“If any man serve Me, let him follow Me: 
and where I am there shall also My servant 
be: if any man serve Me him will My 
Father honor.” 


We are now ready to take up more definitely the 
history of the origin, the life and the work of the 
American Arabian Mission. 





RAR Es TWO 


THE HISTORY 











THE PIONEERS 
Dr. Lansing in the middle, Dr. Cantine on the left and Dr. Zwemer on the 





HERTZOG HALL IN 1889 





CHAPTER V. 
THE PIONEERS 
1889-1893 


It is said that the Foreign Mission enterprise of 
the American Protestant Church “was born under 
a haystack”; and it might be said, with equal truth, 
that the American Arabian Mission was born in 
old “Hertzog Hall,’ the dormitory building of the 
Theological Seminary of the Reformed (Dutch) 
Church in America at New Brunswick, N. J. Its 
inspiration was of God working on the minds and 
hearts of three young students in that Seminary and 
moving them to a special and deep interest for the 
evangelization of the Mohammedan world. 

The older of these young men, James Cantine, a 
member of the Seminary class of 1889, was a 
graduate of Union College and received there his 
training as a civil engineer, which profession he had 
relinquished for the purpose of preparing himself 
for the Christian ministry. The second student, 
Samuel M. Zwemer, of the class of 1890, was en- 
thused with the foreign missionary spirit from his 
earlier years, and Philip T. Phelps, a classmate of 
Cantine, made the third in the little group that read 
and talked and prayed over this great project of a 
spiritual crusade against Islam in Arabia, its inner- 
most citadel, wherein it had reigned with undisputed 


57 


58 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


sway since the days of “The Prophet.” ‘This desire 
was largely implanted and fostered by the Rev. Dr. 
John G. Lansing, Professor of the Old Testament 
Language and Exegesis in the Seminary, who, per- 
ceiving the zeal of these young men, inspired them 
to consider and finally to decide upon a work which 
to all human vision was as difficult and as hopeless a 
task as that presented by any mission field in the 
world. ‘These three students, Cantine, Phelps and 
Zwemer, met for a few times and then styled the 
little group “The Wheel,” calling themselves “the 
Spokes” and Dr. Lansing “the Hub.” One of them, 
probably the methodical Cantine, kept a brief diary 
of these earlier days from which it would seem that 
the first consultation regarding this project was held 
on October 31, 1888, that Dr. Lansing met with 
“the Wheel” several times during November and 
the following January until on February 11, 1889, 
in Phelps’ room at Hertzog Hall, “The Wheel” 
decided to make a formal application to the Board 
of Foreign Missions of the Reformed Church in 
America to be sent out as missionaries to “some 
Arabic-speaking country—Arabia, the upper Nile 
or any other field that shall be deemed most advan- 
tageous.” ‘The object of the proposed mission work 
was to be “especially in behalf of Moslems or 
slaves.” Then and there in reality was born ‘The 
Arabian Mission.” 

On May 28rd the first “Plan” was written out 
and a week later it was presented by Professor 
Lansing, Mr. Cantine and Mr. Zwemer to the Board 
of Foreign Missions by whom it was referred to the 
General Synod. So disheartening, however, did this 


|THE PIONEERS 59 


project seem that many friends of the young volun- 
teers earnestly endeavored to dissuade them from 
embarking on such a forlorn hope, pointing out to 
them the difficulties of the undertaking, their ig- 
norance of the conditions and hindrances to be 
found on the field, and the fact that for hundreds 
of years the Christian Church had not attempted 
any work in all that great region because of its 
inaccessibility and the almost hopeless task of 
attempting to subordinate the Crescent to the Cross. 
But Dr. Lansing, himself a missionary’s son, born ~ 
at Damascus, Syria, and passing his early life in 
Egypt, was well acquainted with the characteristics 
and needs of the Arab Moslem, and his advice and 
enthusiasm held fast these three students until by 
prayer and study and a growing knowledge of the 
Arabic language, in which they were instructed by 
Dr. Lansing, the determination became irrevocably 
settled to go far hence to this “land long since 
neglected” and, in the heart of their holy land, to 
confront the Arab with the Gospel. 


APPEAL TO GENERAL SYNOD 


The plan for the new mission, as has been already 
stated, was submitted to the Board on June 8, 1889, 
and by them referred to the General Synod. It 
was presented to the Synod, convened at Catskill, 
N. Y., on June 11th, by Dr. Lansing in an earnest 
plea, characterized long afterward by Professor 
Searle as one “never to be forgotten by those who 
heard it.” But the Board was sorely hampered by 
a debt of $35,000 and the utmost that the Synod 


60 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


could do in justice to the mission work already 
established was to resolve, “That the whole matter 
relating to the mission, proposed by Professor 
Lansing and the students associated with him, be 
remitted to the Board of Foreign Missions with the 
instruction carefully to consider the whole question 
and, should the Board see their way clear, that they 
be authorized to inaugurate the mission proposed.” 


However, after the “careful consideration’ to 
which they had been commended, the Board re- 
solved on June 26, 1889, “That while the Board is 
greatly interested in the proposition to engage in 
mission work among the Arabic-speaking peoples, 
the work in which the Board is already engaged is 
so great and so constantly growing, and the financial 
condition of the Board is such (its debt at this time 
being $35,000) that the Board feels constrained to 
decline to assume any responsibility in the matter.” 

This being the culmination of several attempts to 
induce the Reformed Church to undertake this new 
work, it was seen by its proposers and their friends 
that the movement must be maugurated, if at all, 
as an independent mission—the hope, however, being 
still cherished (which was later realized) that the 
Reformed Church would take up this enterprise of 
faith. Accordingly the three students, Cantine, 
Zwemer and Phelps, met with Professor Lansing at 
Pine Hill Cottage in the Catskills and considered a 
plan for beginning the work. At a later meeting of 
these friends at Mr. Cantine’s home in Stone Ridge, 
N. Y. (August, 1889), the Plan was rewritten and 
signed by Professor Lansing, Mr. Cantine and Mr. 
Zwemer, Mr. Phelps feeling that he could not, at 


THE PIONEERS 61 


that time, take this step. This plan was brief and 
simple but eminently practicable and is worthy of 
preservation. It was as follows: 


PLAN OF THE ARABIAN MIssION 


We, the undersigned, desiring to engage in pioneer mission 
work in some Arabic-speaking country and especially in behalf 
of Moslems and slaves, do at the outset recognize the following 
facts: 


1. The great need and encouragement for this work at the 
present time. 


2. The non-existence of such mission work under the super- 
vision of our Board of Foreign Missions at the present time. 


38. The fact that little has been done in the channels in- 
dicated. 


4. The inability of our Board to inaugurate work under its 
present status. 


Therefore that the object may be realized we agree to the 
following propositions: 


1. This missionary movement shall be known as the Arabian 
Mission. 


2. The field, so far as at present it is possible to be de- 
termined, shall be Arabia or adjacent coast of Africa. 


8. Selected by and associated with the undersigned shall be 
a Committee of Advice, composed of four contributors, to assist 
in advancing the interests of this Mission. 


4. In view of the fact that this Mission is of necessity 
undenominational in its personnel and work, contributions are 
solicited from any and all to whom this may come without refer- 
ence to denominational adherence. 


5. The amount required to carry on the work of this Mis- 
sion will be the sum necessary to meet the equipment and work- 
ing expenses of the individuals approved of and sent to engage 
in the work of this Mission. No debt shall be incurred and no 
salaries be paid to other than missionaries. 


62 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


6. It is desired that the amount subscribed shall not inter- 
fere with the individuals’ regular denominational contributions 
to Foreign Missions. 

7. Of the undersigned the first party shall be Treasurer and 
have general oversight of the interests of the mission at home 
and as such shall render an annual statement; while the mis- 
sionaries in the field shall have the direction of those interests 
abroad. 

Joun G. LANSING, 
JAMES CANTINE, 
SamMuEL M. ZweMe_enr. 


It was also at this time and place that the motto 
of the Mission was adopted: “Oh that Ishmael might 
live before Thee” (Gen. 17:18) and that Dr. Lansing 
composed the “Marseillaise,” as it may be called, of 
the new Mission in the stirring words of the Arabian 
Mission hymn, “Arabia the Loved”: 


Fe 


“There's a land long since neglected, 
There’s a people still rejected, 
But of truth and grace elected, 
In His love for them. 


te 


Softer than their night wind’s fleeting, 
Richer than their starry tenting, 
Stronger than their sands protecting, 
Is His love for them. 


TEE 


To the host of Islam’s leading, 
For the slave in bondage bleeding, 
To the desert dweller pleading, 
Bring His love to them. 


THE PIONEERS 63 
IV. 


Through the promise on God’s pages, 
Through His work in history’s stages, 

Through the Cross that crowns the ages, 
Show His love to them. 


V. 


With the prayer that still availeth, 
With the power that prevaileth, 

With the love that never faileth, 
Tell His love to them. 


VI. 


Till the desert’s sons now aliens, 
Till its tribes and their dominions, 

Till Arabia’s raptured millions, 
Praise His love of them.” 


The new project, however, was not without earnest 
friends in the Reformed Church. The first public 
reference to it appeared in “The Christian Intelli- 
gencer” of June 26, 1889, wherein we read, “Should 
God raise up givers as He has the men ready to 
undertake the work it may yet be that a fourth 
mission field will open before us in this proposed 
extension of the kingdom into Africa.” And a 
veteran minister of our Church, the Rev. J. A. 
Davis, formerly of the Amoy Mission, urges the 
acceptance of the new work saying, “These men do 
not ask for money. They ask for acceptance as a 
Mission of our Church. They will see about the 
money. They will get it and mostly from our 
Church anyhow: although it will not go through the 


64 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Board. . . . And so I would say, Accept the 
men. Accept the Mission. Send the men to the 
Church to get their money and while they appeal for 
that they will not forget the debt.” 

The final determination having now been taken, it 
remained only to begin active mission work. There 
was, however, this essential difference between the 
Mission to Arabia and those to many other un- 
evangelized lands, in that.the land and the peoples 
to which these young men proposed to go with the 
Gospel message, was practically an unexplored land 
and an unknown people. In all that great peninsula 
there were but few places where European influence 
had as yet obtained even a foothold, and at but two 
points, Aden and Baghdad, had there been any 
attempt made to do definite missionary work. 


CANTINE AT BEIRUT 


It was necessary therefore that a certain amount 
of time should be given to the study of the condi- 
tions and the selection of a proper site for future 
operations before any positive work could be at- 
tempted. Accordingly James Cantine, the first signer 
of the Plan, received ordination from the Classis of 
Kingston on October 1, 1889, and sailed for Syria 
on October 16th of the same year. Arriving at 
Beirut, Syria, he was most graciously received by 
Dr. H. H. Jessup and the other brethren of the 
American Presbyterian Mission and continued with 
them during that winter, studying the language and 
familiarizing himself with the habits and customs of 
the people. | 


THE PIONEERS 65 


HOME CONDITIONS 


Meanwhile Dr. Lansing at home threw himself 
into the work of securing funds for the mission and 
received many gratifying responses from friends 
both within the Reformed Church and in other de- 
nominations. Of these efforts the Rev. Professor 
J. P. Searle later wrote, “He (Dr. Lansing) secured 
money and pledges of annual gifts to such an extent 
that when the Mission was incorporated, Cantine 
had been sent to Beirut and maintained there and 
the money for Zwemer’s support was in hand. When 
I succeeded Dr. Lansing as treasurer the amount 
that came into my hands exceeded a thousand dollars 
and the income was so steady and so. sure that we 
were never in debt or near it in those days.” “Dr. 
Lansing,” continued Dr. Searle, “in a sense died of 
his devotion to the Arabian Mission, for his strenuous 
efforts and his anxiety for it certainly helped to 
bring on the cerebral disease from which he shortly 
afterwards died.” 

It was now, therefore, needful to add somewhat 
to the powers of the original Committee of Advice, 
and on January 31, 1891, “The Arabian Mission” 
was incorporated at the home of Dr. Arthur Ward, 
of Newark, N. J. The incorporators and trustees 
were: Mr. Thomas Russell, of Montclair, as Presi- 
dent; the Rev. Dr. David Waters, of the North 
Reformed Church of Newark; Rev. Prof. J. G. 
Lansing, of New Brunswick; Rev. Adrian Zwemer, 
of Orange City, Iowa, (the father of Samuel M. 
and Peter J. Zwemer); Rev. John A. Davis, of the 
Second Reformed Church, Newark; Rev. Dr. KE. T. 


66 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Corwin, of Millstone, N. J., and Rev. J. Preston 
Searle, of Somerville, N. J. Mr. (afterward Pro- 
fessor) Searle was chosen as Secretary and Treas- 
urer without salary and the work began to go 
forward. The receipt of a legacy from Miss Cath- 
arine Crane Halstead, of five thousand dollars, the 
only legacy and the largest single gift received 
during the first ten years of the Mission’s history, 
greatly encouraged its friends; while the “syndicate 
plan’”—by which churches, societies or individuals 
pledged a definite annual gift—provided a sufficient 
and steady income for the immediate needs of the 
new enterprise. 

On June 28, 1890, the second missionary of the 
Arabian Mission, Samuel M. Zwemer, sailed to join 
Mr. Cantine at Beirut, and together these young 
men visited and consulted with Dr. Lansing, then 
in Egypt for his health. Their first thought had 
been to unite their forces with those of the Scotch 
Free Church at Aden, which had been organized by 
Ion Keith Falconer only four years earlier (1886) 
but closer investigation proved that though the 
Scottish brethren would have weleomed them, there 
was scarcely room enough for two independent mis- 
sions, nor was there from that point the access to 
the interior which was a fixed desire of the new mis- 
sion, one of whose slogans was, “Our ultimate object 
is to occupy the interior of Arabia.” 


EXPLORATION 


It was necessary, therefore, to explore much of 
the coast line from Aden east and north along the 


THE PIONEERS 67 


shores of the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf 
and to penetrate if possible somewhat into the in- 
terior. Accordingly, Mr. Cantine journeyed north- 
ward to the country of the Sultan of Lahaj, while 
Mr. Zwemer sailed along the southern coast in com- 
pany with Kamil, a young Syrian convert whose 
subsequent history, though short, was to be such a 
precious memory to those with whom he had labored. 
Their explorations, as they may be called, were to no 
small extent directed by the suggestions of Major 
General EF’. T. Haig, whose interest in Christian 
work among Moslems has already been noted, and 
who in 1886-1887, at the request of the Church Mis- 
sionary Society of the Church of England, journeyed 
to the Red Sea ports, Somali-land in Africa and 
Southern and Eastern Arabia. 


In a very full report of this journey, General 
Haig describes at some length the geographical, 
social, commercial and religious conditions of the 
various towns and tribes which he visited. His 
observations convinced him, as he says, that “in one 
degree or another all Arabia is open to the Gospel. 
It is as much open to it as the world generally was 
in Apostolic times; that is to’ say, it is accessible to 
the evangelist at many different points, at all of 
which he would find men and women needing salva- 
tion, some of whom would receive his message while 
others would reject it and persecute him.” He 
speaks of the possibility of persecution by the authori- 
ties, especially in Turkish Arabia but concludes, 
“There is no difficulty about preaching the Gospel 
in Arabia if men can be found to face the conse- 
quences. The real difficulty would be the protec- 


68 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


tion of the converts. Most probably they would be 
exposed to violence and death. ‘The infant Church 
might be a martyr church at first like that of Uganda 
but that would not prevent the spread of the truth 
in its ultimate triumph.” ‘The experience of thirty 
years has proven the almost prophetic accuracy of 
these words. Persecution has not followed the mis- 
sionaries so much as it has their converts and to this 
day it has been impossible to organize a native 
Church or to protect the native Christians not only 
from the reproach but from the violence of those 
who resent their acceptance of Christianity. . But 
neither of these hindrances has prevented the spread 
of the truth nor will they prevent its ultimate 
triumph. : 

General Haig’s suggestions as to possible and 
profitable situations for permanent missionary work 
in Arabia were almost as well considered as his gen- 
eral observations. Aden, Sheikh Othman, Dhala, 
Makalleh, Oman, Bahrain, Nejd, the Sinaitic Pen- 
insula, Jiddah, Hodeida and Sanaa are eleven points 
that he specially mentions, and of these seven are 
now more or less fully occupied, showing the keen- 
ness of his observation and the accuracy of his 
judgment. No wonder that his advice was so valua- 
ble to the pioneers of the Arabian Mission as they 
travelled from point to point by sea or by land. 


BASRAH OCCUPIED 
Finally after much deliberation and prayer it was 


decided by Mr. Cantine and Mr. Zwemer that Bas- 
rah, a city of some 60,000 inhabitants situated on the 


THE PIONEERS 69 


Shatt-el-Arab, sixty miles from the Persian Gulf, 
and accessible to all Northern Arabia, was the best 
situation for the permanent work of the Mission; 
and it was there, with the consent of the Trustees at 
home, that the first station of the Arabian Mission 
was opened in August, 1891, by the Rev. James 
Cantine and Rev. Samuel M. Zwemer. 


KAMIL ABD EL MESSIA 

With these two Americans was associated one of 
‘the most useful and admirable characters that has 
ever been engaged in ,the work of this Mission— 
Kamil Abdtal Messiay‘: He was a young Syrian 
whose home was in Beirut and who was of an inquir- 
ing disposition and an earnest mind. Having desired 
to study the French language he went to the Jesuit 
College in Beirut for about a month and while there 
was given an Arabic New Testament which he took 
home and began to read. His father, a very fanati- 
cal Moslem, discovered his occupation and burned 
the book. His friend at the Jesuit College offered 
him another copy, advising him to tell his father that 
he was reading it only to write against its teachings, 
but Kamil refused thus to deceive his father and 
leaving the College sought the help of Dr. Van Dyck 
who in turn referred him to Dr. Henry H. Jessup. 
Under his instruction Kamil progressed rapidly in 
his knowledge of Christian truth, until he was again 
discovered by his father reading his Testament and 
praying and every effort, both by persuasion and 
threats, was made to dissuade him from his practice. 
However, he was finally permitted to go to the 


70 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


American Boarding School for Boys at Suk-el- © 
Gharb, near Beirut, where his new-found faith was 
strengthened, and where he made the acquaintance of 
Mr. Cantine, who was also at the School studying 
Arabic in preparation for his missionary work. Later 
he also met Mr. Zwemer at the same school and when 
some months afterward the Americans began their 
permanent work at Basrah he was the first native 
Christian whom they asked to assist them. This he 
did and soon proved himself to be of exceptional 
value both as a teacher of Arabic and a preacher of 
the Gospel to the Arabs and others with whom he 
labored. His work, however, was soon done, for 
within six months, and after a very short illness of 
only two days, he passed to his reward June 24, 
1892. It was then, and has always been suspected, 
that his sudden death was not wholly the result of 
natural illness, as his success as a Christian teacher 
had made him many enemies among the more fanat- 
ical Moslems. The promptness with which he was 
buried by the Moslems with the rites of their religion 
in spite of the protest of his fellow missionaries, and 
the refusal to allow his Christian friends to have any 
of his effects or to make any examination to ascertain 
the cause of death was also very suspicious. Be that 
as it may, in his death the Arabian Mission lost its 
first native missionary and gained its first Christian 
martyr. The story of his life, written by Dr. Henry 
H. Jessup, is a strong and beautiful testimony to 
Kamil’s life and work, of whom Dr. Jessup says: 
“Kamil’s history is a rebuke to an unbelief in God’s 
willmgness and power to lead Mohammedans into a 
hearty acceptance of Christ and His atoning sacri- 


THE PIONEERS 71 


fice. I have rarely met a more pure and thoroughly 
sincere character. FT'rom the beginning of our ac- 
quaintance in ‘our flowery bright Beirut’ (as Kamil 
loved to call his native town) to his last days on the 
banks of the Tigris he was a model of a humble, 
cheerful, courteous Christian gentleman.” And Mr. 
Zwemer wrote home concerning his fellow-worker, 
“Ever since he was here (in Basrah) Kamil has been 
a faithful and at times a very bold confessor of 
Christ and the Gospel. Around his dead body were 
many who witnessed to the purity of his life and mo- 
tives. He was far above the average of native work- 
ers in ability and earnestness and was thoroughly 
disinterested. His loss to our work will be great.” 


pions nein 


COLPORTAGE 


The chief forms of work which have marked the 
history of the Arabian Mission from its very begin- 
ning have been the distribution of the Scriptures and 
Christian literature and medical work. The Bible 
and Colporteur work commenced almost as soon as 
the missionaries reached the field, one of the first 
items in the first “Quarterly Report of the Arabian 
Mission” being this: “Mr. Zwemer went to Baghdad 
in March to engage a colporteur for Bible work and 
to purchase a stock of Bibles.’ And Mr. Cantine 
says: “Our Bible work naturally divides itself into 
two parts—that done by our ourselves as the oppor- 
tunity presents itself and that by regularly employed 
colporteurs. During the past three months about 
eighty Bibles or portions of Scripture have been 
given away or sold in Basrah and vicinity (by the 


72 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


missionaries themselves). With many of these a few 
words have perhaps prepared the way for an intelli- 
gent and earnest search for the way of life.’ Later 
two colporteurs, Salome Anton and Elias Gergis 
were employed, who travelled from place to place 
selling the Scriptures or other religious and educa- 
tional books where permitted to do so and when not 
thus busied sold such books at their depository or 
Bible Shop in Basrah. Evangelistic tours also gave 
an opportunity for Bible distribution, some buying 
and reading in the quiet of their own homes who 
would not have done so in a more public manner. 
Thus the seed both of the spoken and the written 
word was “‘sown beside all waters.” 

‘The year 1892 also saw the establishment of med- 
ical mission work at Basrah. The first appointee was 
Dr. C. E. Riggs, a man of attractive but eccentric 
qualities, who presented unexceptionable testimonials 
as to his personal character, professional skill and 
evangelical faith. Soon after his arrival at Basrah, 
however, it became evident that his doctrinal views 
on essential points, such as the divinity of Christ and 
other truths were not in accord with those held by 
evangelical Christians and that in other respects he 
was not in full sympathy with his fellow workers. 
It was, therefore, not at all consistent to retain him 
on the staff of the Mission, and consequently his 
-commission was revoked and he left the Mission in 
August. | 

This unfortunate episode, however, had one help- 
ful result in that it demonstrated not only the native 
need and appreciation of medical aid but conclusive- 
ly proved that by this means even the most bigoted 


THE PIONEERS 73 


and fanatical natives could be brought into contact 
with the Gospel message. In one month during the 
short service of Dr. Riggs, 550 patients received 
treatment and had it been possible to continue the 
work thus begun the number would have run into 
thousands for the year. F:ven the non-medical mis- 
sionaries with only their unprofessional knowledge 
of simple remedies and ordinary hygiene were able 
to render much help to the native Arabs, whose ignor- 
ance and superstition as to the treatment of illness 
or injuries are appalling, and were frequently called 
to do so during their evangelistic tours. The value 
of this method of work is therefore none too strongly 
stated in an early report where it is said, “The one 
greatest need of the Mission is a Medical Missionary 
staff. Medical work is the one phase of missionary 
effort which meets with no opposition, but for which 
there comes a fervent plea from the people.” 


During this year the Mission force was also de- 
pleted by the loss of Jakoob Johann, a Syrian con- 
vert who had been a colporteur and helper in the 
Mission but who, having gone to Baghdad, was there 
arrested and put under police surveillance, not 
being permitted to return to Basrah. His wife, Um 
Thabit, had been the first native to receive baptism at 
the hands of our missionaries, and with her husband, 
and Kamil and the three Americans, participated in 
the first Arabic celebration of the Lord’s Supper 
ever held in the Arabian Mission. This was on May 
1, 1892, and the report records with gratitude, “It 
was a day long to be remembered in the annals of 
our Mission.” 

Another event of importance in this first year of 


74 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


the full operation of the Arabian Mission was the 
arrival at Basrah (December, 1892) of the Rev. 
Peter J. Zwemer, a younger brother of Samuel M. 
Zwemer, who was destined to be a strong addition to 
the missionary force during the few years he was 
spared to the work. 


BAHRAIN OCCUPIED 


In the fall of this year, the first extended visit was 
made to Bahrain, a small group of islands half-way 
down the coast of the Persian Gulf on the East 
Arabian coast. The Rev. 8S. M. Zwemer visited the 
islands December 7, 1892, and remained there during 
the month. Early in the next year (February, 1893) 
he again visited them, remaining for about three 
months and establishing a Bible depot which from 
the start met with gratifying success. Thus passed 
the first year, 1892, of the real operation of the 
Arabian Mission, with intermingled sunshine and 
shadow but with an ever-growing and grateful ap- 
prehension of the fact that an unusual blessing had 
attended this unusual enterprise—or, as was said in 
one of the early reports—“In view of the many years 
of apparently fruitless labor that have been spent in 
the opening of many other great Missionary enter- 
prises, the results that have so soon set their seal 
upon the work in Arabia seem to voice themselves 
in the words, ‘What hath God wrought? ” 

During 1893, the work of the Mission slowly ex- 
panded with many tests and trials of new locations 
and new plans, some of which proved undesirable, 
but a few of which produced permanent results. A 


THE PIONEERS 75 


new house was acquired by the Mission in Basrah— 
the first which in any sense might be called Mission 
property. It was built for the missionaries, modified 
from native models by the suggestions of Mr. Can- 
tine, and taken under a five years’ lease. It was first 
occupied in August, 1893, and proved a great bless- 
ing to the Missionary Staff as it gave them a clean 
and sanitary place in which to live, and enabled them 
to concentrate their work in a place more central and 
better adapted to their needs than any they had be- 
fore been able to secure. The effect on the health of 
the missionaries and their helpers and the appearance 
of permanency which it gave to the Mission, proved 
of great value and encouraged all interested in the 
work. 

Meanwhile the colporteur and Bible work was 
extended to neighboring towns and villages outside 
of Basrah and Bahrain and resulted not only in the 
sale of many Scriptures and other books, but in the 
increased knowledge of how to conduct the work and 
meet the people, which was of great value to future 
efforts. 

All this was not done, of course, without some 
interference by the Turkish authorities. The tours 
in Mesopotamia, down the Shatt-el-Arab and up 
both the Tigris and the Kuphrates rivers were thus 
interrupted; the, colporteurs were forced at times to 
leave certain points where they could have done ex- 
tended work and in a few instances their stock of 
books was confiscated and recovered only with diffi- 
culty. It is worthy of note that where the British 
Government had any sort of control over a locality 
both the persons and the property of the missionaries 


76 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


and their helpers were much more secure than where 
this was not the case. FE:ven in these places, however, 
the opposition of “the Pharisees,” as Mr. Zwemer 
called them, because of their zeal for the formalities 
of Mohammedan law, was determined, as at Bahrain 
where Mr. Zwemer was forbidden to sell Scriptures 
from a house which he had leased for this very pur- 
pose, and was later even ordered to leave the Islands, 
until a formal appeal to -the British Resident at 
Bushire brought a respite from their annoyances. 
Surely whatever sins political or social may be laid 
to its charge, it is a fact that a greater degree of re- 
ligious and intellectual liberty than is possible with- 
out it, follows the British flag all around the world. 
To that emblem and the authority it represents all 
mankind owe a debt of gratitude for the possibility, 
humanly speaking, of carrying the Gospel to millions | 
of men, who but for the safeguard of Great Britain’s 
friendliness to religious liberty, could never have 
been reached. | : 

During 1893 also the work, started late in the 
previous year by Samuel M. Zwemer at the Bahrain 
Islands, was continued, establishing this point, which 
at first was considered as an out-station of Basrah, as 
a second mission center, where one or the other of the 
three missionaries was in frequent attendance. 


As Mr. Zwemer wrote: “The past year has proved 
that here, as well as at Basrah, there is a great and 
open door and that the work will require the pres- 
ence of at least one missionary during the entire year 
if possible. A single man who is a qualified medical 
practitioner and at the same time at heart a mission- 
ary would be the ideal worker for these islands. In 


THE PIONEERS ue 


the whole island with some 50,000 people there is no 
doctor, and native quackery is cruel in the extreme. 
In a place where dentistry is practised by the use of 
wedges, hammers and tongs and where they fill a 
hollow tooth with melted lead to ease pain, I have 
won a score of friends by less painful methods.” 


EARLY TOURS 


It was one of the early declarations of those who 
founded the Arabian Mission that “If the Arabian 
Mission is to be true to its name and prosper it must 
occupy Arabia,” and the missionaries were never for- 
getful of this ultimate purpose. Especially did this 
purpose of pushing into the interior or less well 
known parts of the country weigh heavily upon the 
mind and heart of Samuel M. Taretier who may be 
properly regarded as the “advance agent” or “travel- 
ling man” of the Mission through most of its forma- 
tive years. Consequently after many lesser tours, in 
October, 1898, he made a twelve-day tour in the 
province of Hassa, which lies to the west of the 
Bahrain Islands. Here he visited Kl Hofhoof, the 
capital city of the Province, and El Kateef, both 
large and important places. ‘The change from the 
arid surroundings of the coast towns greatly im- | 
pressed him and caused him to write thus: “On the 
second day at noon we sighted the palm forests that 
surround Hofhoof and give it as Palgrave says ‘the 
general aspect of a white and yellow onyx, chased in 
an emerald ring.’ At sunset we went on to Mena- 
zeleh, a distance of about three miles, through gar- 
dens and rushing streams of tepid waters. ‘The next 


78 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


morning early we again rode through gardens and 
date orchards half visible in the morning mist. At 
seven o'clock the mosques and walls of Hofhoof ap- 
peared right before us as the sun lifted the veil; it 
was a beautiful sight.” And he adds, “Here I am 
at the gateway of Nejd. God has answered our 
prayers and brought me here all safe. MJHlere is a 
Paradise. Palgrave’s descriptions are not at all ex- 
aggerated. I had no trouble after I arrived. Much 
kmdness was shown me by the Pasha and no objec- 
tion, so far, has been made to the sale of books in a 
quiet way. God be praised! During my short stay 
all the books and Scriptures I brought with me were 
sold, even my own Testament; a rebuke to lack of 
faith in not taking eral 


MUSCAT OCCUPIED 


It was in 1893 also that the first steps were taken 
toward establishing a third station in Arabia at 
Muscat, some 500 miles south of Bahrain on the 
Gulf of Oman, outside the Persian Gulf. Physically 
speaking this place is one of the least attractive on 
all the Kast Arabian coast, being rocky, sterile and 
very hot, but it had been previously used by the 
British and Foreign Bible Society as a center for 
Bible distribution and being then unoccupied it was 
visited in the early part of November, 1893, by Rev. 
Peter J. Zwemer with the purpose of finding out the 
prospect for mission work there. Later Mr. Zwemer 
reported, “That Muscat should be occupied as the 
second sub-station of the Arabian Mission, seems a 
most natural extension of our work around the coast 


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THE PIONEERS a9 


of Arabia. Like Basrah and Bahrain it is a steamer 
port, has regular mails and although excessively hot 
the climate is healthy and free from the malaria so 
prevalent elsewhere. The freedom granted to Euro- 
peans on account of the peculiar relation of the 
Sultan’s Government to that of Great Britain is an 
incalculable privilege in a Mohammedan country. 
The Scriptures may be freely read in public. Open 
discussion at either of the large city gates in the 
presence of a European will not be disturbed and 
instruction when such is desired may be freely given. 
On the other hand, a mixed population of Arabs, 
Beloochees, Persians, Africans and Hindu Banians, 
a large proportion of whom are illiterate, besides the 
all too prevalent evils of a foreign seaport, render 
missionary effort peculiarly difficult.” Undeterred 
by these difficulties, however, Mr. Zwemer secured 
quarters in the main bazaar of the town, where a 
large sign, in three languages, Arabic, English and 
Gujerati, invited the passer-by to “pause, purchase 
and peruse,” with considerable result. Muscat is a 
port of entry with caravan trails converging there 
from many points in Oman. It is also accessible by 
sea from many of the coast towns, and Mr. Zwemer 
made a special trip by a fast sailing boat called a 
“Bedden” along the coast, and as the result of his 
investigations, reported “My tour proves first, the 
possibility of thus reaching at least the coast of 
Oman with the Gospel, and second it shows that in 
Oman naught opposes the Gospel save Islam itself.” 

Thus at the close of 1898, in four years from the 
time of the arrival in Syria of the first missionary to 
prepare for the Arabian Mission and in a little more 


80 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


than two years from the actual occupation of the 
field at Basrah, we find the work of the Mission firm- 
ly established in three points on the Persian Gulf, 
Basrah, Bahrain and Muscat, which still remain after 
more than thirty years the chief stations or centers 
of work, thus justifying the careful forethought and 
the good judgment of those who thus began, with the 
help of God, the first permanent Christian Mission 
to the Cradle of Islam which had been undertaken 
since the days of the False Prophet himself, with the 
sole exception of the enterprise established but five 
years earlier by the devoted Keith Falconer on the 
rocky shores of Aden. 


CHaPtTer VI. 
POSSESSING THE LAND 
1894-1899 
ADOPTED BY THE BOARD 


The year 1894 was marked by some important de- 
velopments in the work of the Mission. In June of 
that year, the General Synod of the Reformed 
(Dutch) Church directed their Board of Foreign 
Missions “to open negotiations” with the Arabian 
Mission, with a view to receiving it under the care 
of the Board, and in September this transfer was 
effected. The Mission retained its incorporation, 
but its Trustees were replaced, so far as necessary, 
by members of the Foreign Board and it was agreed 
that the work should come under the jurisdiction of 
the Board in all the details of its management. This 
arrangement gave the new Mission a real status as 
a Mission of the Reformed Church in America but 
retained the interest and co-operation of the friends 
outside of the Reformed Church who had taken so 
considerable a share in its work. From this time on 
the permanence and stability of the Mission were 
assured. 

In 1894 also a new medical missionary came out 
to take the place of Dr. Riggs. This was Dr. 
James T. Wyckoff, who arrived at Basrah in March 
and for a while busied himself in becoming acquainted 
with the people, the language and the conditions 


81 


82 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


likely to have a bearing upon disease. He also 
visited Bahrain and vicinity and as soon as. possible 
commenced regular dispensary practice and visiting 
at both stations so far as was. -possible. But the 
expectations aroused by his accession to the Mission 
were soon doomed to disappointment, as after about 
six months his health failed so seriously as to neces- 
sitate his absence from Arabia and very soon com- 
pelled his return to America. Thus this most im- 
portant aid to the work was again suspended, and 
the relief of injury and disease was confined to the 
efforts of the Rev. Samuel M. Zwemer, whose ex- 
perienced, though medically uneducated efforts, were 
the sole assistance of the many sufferers who appealed 
for aid to him. No wonder the insistent cry kept 
going up from the little band of devoted men, “Send 
us a medical missionary.” 


In the absence of the medical work the chief 
medium of reaching the people was the distribution 
of the Scriptures—both from the Bible Shops, and 
by the efforts of the colporteurs and the missionaries 
as they went to and fro among the coast towns and 
so far as possible the inland districts and villages, 
though such travel was much restricted because of 
government opposition and even more by the fanati- 
eal attitude of the people, who were but little in 
contact with foreign visitors. This work was main- 
tained, of course, with vigor in the three main sta- 
tions of Basrah, Bahrain and Muscat, and in the 
aggregate several thousands of copies of the Bible, 
Testaments, Scripture Portions and other religious 
and educational books were sold or distributed among 
the people. 


POSSESSING THE LAND 83 


It was also heartening to notice the growth in 
interest among the people and the uncompromising 
boldness which the native helpers displayed in the 
advocacy of their Christian faith. An illustration 
of this fact was the case of Jakoob Johann, who 
was under observation and restraint, a virtual pris- 
oner at Baghdad for over a year but who remained 
true to Christ, and another instance was afforded 
by a later colporteur, John Yezdi, a Persian Chris- 
tian, who was arrested and thrown into prison on the 
technical charge of having no passport. “He was 
not treated very harshly, however,” wrote Mr. 
Cantine, “and with his friendly ways and _ polite 
manners he made some friends among the guards 
and officials, to whom he sold and gave away several 
Testaments in Turkish and Arabic. Several times 
the Governor had him up for examination, but 
there is no reason to believe that he departed from 
the open profession of his faith. Afterwards he told 
me that it seemed as if the Spirit of God put the 
words into his mouth with which to answer his 
accusers. One day, nearly a month after his arrest, 
the Governor sneeringly asked him how many con- 
verts he had made among the soldiers, his guards. 
He replied that there were none as yet but if, through 
the kindness of his excellency, he was allowed to 
stay long enough (in prison) he would with the 
blessing of God convert them all! A couple of days 
afterward he was given a ticket to Bombay and 
sent under guard, on board a departing steamer. 
He soon joined Rev. P. J. ZGwemer at Muscat and 
continued his work.” 


Difficulties, however, were not wanting even in 


84 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


the work of instructing in Christian truth those who 
were willing to be taught. An inquirer who visited 
Rev. S. M. Zwemer quite regularly and gave evi- 
dence of much intelligent comprehension of Chris- 
tianity, was observed to have a bandage on his foot 
as if it were injured, but on Mr. Zwemer’s inquiry 
what was the trouble the Arab replied, “Oh, that old 
bandage is just an excuse for those who ask why 
I come to see you so often. The foot is all right.” 

And after all it was by this method of personal 
contact and conversation that the most effective 
work was done in these early days. As Rev. Peter J. 
Zwemer says in one of his reports, dated June, 1894, 
“No government or priest can forbid the simple 
conversing with friends concerning religion, and 
when they, inadvertently, perhaps, purchase the 
Scriptures we may put to them the question of 
Philip to the eunuch of Candace, “Understandest 
thou what thou readest?’ In this sense all Moslem 
lands are accessible and in this way we are privi- 
leged to witness the truth as it is in Jesus to many.” 


It was a growing sense of the vital importance of 
this feature of the work that led the missionaries 
through Mr. Cantine to write home thus: “The 
need (of strengthening and enlarging the colportage 
work) and the opportunity have constrained us to 
give much of our time and strength to this branch 
of Mission work and after two years’ experience we 
are united in the opinion that for a pioneer enter- 
prise in ‘Turkey or among the independent tribes 
we are working by this method along the lines of 
least resistance and of the brightest prospects. Past 
success encourages us to plan for both the systematic 


POSSESSING THE LAND 85 


visitation of all this region and for constant striking 
out into new and untried fields.” The request then 
followed that the Committee at home should try 
to arrange with the American Bible Society to co- 
operate with the British and Foreign Bible Society 
by furnishing grants of books to be distributed 
under the direction of the Arabian Mission. ‘This 
was later done and during all the years of the Mis- 
sion the American Bible Society has been a source 
of great strength by furnishing to our missionaries 
the means of sowing the various sections of this field 
with the seed of the Word of God. It is interesting 
to know that in the first full year of the distribution 
of Bibles and other religious and educational works 
from the three stations, Basrah, Bahrain and Muscat 
and on tours, the number distributed amounted to 
3,887 copies. It is furthermore significant to note 
that it was in 1894 that the first direct bequest “for 
the work of a native evangelist (colporteur) in his 
work of distributing and explaining the Scriptures” 
was received from Mrs. A. Z. Winter of Saddle 
River, N. J. It amounted to $500 and was gladly 
received and used for the purpose designated. 

And so the year 1894 closed with the Mission 
practically on the same basis of relationship to the 
home Church and the same type of work which it has 
since maintained. As the printed report for that 
year expresses it, “From henceforth the Arabian 
Mission will have a peculiar claim upon the mem- 
bers of the Reformed Church. The appeal of 
Arabia, its millions and its missionaries should come 
home to them with no less force than that which 
comes from our older Mission fields. ‘That appeal 


86 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


is enforced by the peculiar difficulties to be en- 
countered from a trying and unfriendly climate, a 
jealous and intolerant government and a blindly ig- 
norant people, fanatically hostile to all that opposes 
their faith. It is enforced, too, by that which has 
been already done. ‘An entrance has been made 
into the very heart of Islam. In faith Arabia has 
been preempted by our Church and though fanati- 
cism scorns and ignorancesnisjudges, the seed is being 
sown and the questions of the Kingship and Sonship 
of Christ are being discussed by the Moslem pilgrim 
on his way to Mecea.’ So writes one of our mis- 
sionaries. It is ours to do what we can to lead the 
multitudes of Arabia to acknowledge that Jesus is 
the Christ, the Son of God, that believing they may 
have faith through His name.” 


PERMANENT MEDICAL WORK 


The years 1895 to 1900 might be termed years of 
growth. ‘Tours were made as frequently as possible 
along the coast and as far into the interior as was 
permitted by the Turkish Government, though only 
two new sub-stations were occupied—Amarah on the 
Tigris river in 1895 and Nasiriya on the Euphrates 
in 1897. But the growth of the Mission forces and 
the furnishing of the older stations with buildings 
and other equipment suited to their work were 
noticeable signs of progress. ‘The third medical 
missionary to be appointed, H. R. Lankford Wor- 
rall, M.D., left New York January 2, 1895, and 
after considerable delay, caused in part by the neces- 
sity of remaining in Constantinople long enough to 


POSSESSING THE LAND 87 


pass the examinations necessary to obtain the medical 
diploma required by the Turkish Government, he 
arrived in Basrah, April 17th, and opened the dis- 
pensary so long closed because of the absence of a 
qualified physician. His work was interrupted by 
sickness in August of the same year and it was not 
till January, 1896, that it was reopened and this 
time for a permanent work that was to expand to a 
large usefulness. 

It was during this year, 1895, also that, notwith- 
standing the accession of Dr. Worrall, the Mission 
was weakened by the necessary return of Mr. Cantine 
to the United States. He was the very first mis- 
sionary on the field, had worked unremittingly in 
its interests and felt the physical need of change 
and reunion with kinsfolk and friends at home, which 
is necessary for any American laboring in Oriental 
lands. His presence in the homeland was also of 
the utmost value to the work of the Mission, bring- 
ing to the home Churches direct tidings and informa- 
tion regarding the conditions and experiences pecu- 
liar to that all but unknown land to which he had 
gone. 


WOMEN’S WORK 


On his return to Arabia in the fall of 1896, he 
found one new missionary whose accession was the 
most significant of any that had yet occurred, Mrs. 
Amy Wilkes Zwemer, who had married Rev. Samuel 
M. Zwemer at Baghdad, May 18, 1896. Miss 
Wilkes had been a member of the Church Mission- 
ary Society with headquarters in the city of Bagh- 
dad. On her marriage to Mr. Zwemer she was re- 


88 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


leased from her contract with the English Society, 
but the cost of her outfitting and travel to the field 
had been advanced by the Church Missionary Society 
and very properly had to be in part at least refunded 
to them. It, therefore, became a pleasantry among 
the missionaries to say that “Mr. Zwemer had ob- 
tained a wife in true Oriental fashion by buying her 
from her former people.” And a fellow missionary 
used to facetiously remark, “Yes, I had to go about 
at home and raise money to pay for Mr. Zwemer’s 
wife.” 

Mrs. Zwemer soon joined the staff of the station 
at Basrah and having received a thorough education 
as a trained nurse and with her experience in mission 
work among Orientals, she became an invaluable 
addition to the little company of those who were 
endeavoring to gain the attention and hearts of the 
Arabians but to whom all access to the native women 
had been rendered impossible by the inviolable cus- 
toms of ages. Here Mrs. Zwemer had a work into 
which she alone could enter and the possibilities of 
which she only could fully appreciate. As she wrote 
in her first report, “The vista is a wide one and 
requires to supply its needs the army of women 
spoken of in the sixty-eighth Psalm. The ground 
is very hard and full of weeds, both of their own 
superstitions and those of the Eastern Churches. 
But they are grateful for kindness shown them and 
even a pleasant word will draw out most of them. 
These are open doors and the work is great. Who 
will come to the help of the Lord against the 
mighty?’ ‘The Board at home took note of this most 
welcome addition to the workers of the Arabian Mis- 


POSSESSING THE LAND 89 


sion, and rejoiced that the experiment of adding a 
woman to the staff, which to some had seemed some- 
what doubtful, had resulted so happily. “Nowhere 
on Mission ground,” in the language of the Board, 
“is the condition of women more pitiful. Nowhere 
can the ministry of devoted Christian women have 
hope of greater usefulness or more blessed results. 
It is encouraging to receive the testimony that no- 
where, at no time did Mrs. Zwemer meet with 
annoyance or rudeness in her attempts to seek out 
her Arab sisters and bring to them the message of 
life and light.” Surely June 1, 1896, should be a 
red-letter day in the calendar of this Mission and 
indeed of all Christian Missions in Arabia, as the 
date whereon the first systematic and prolonged 
effort for the evangelization of the women of Arabia 
by the women of America was begun by Mrs. 
Zwemer. 


FREED SLAVE SCHOOL 


In 1298, John of Monte Corvino, an Italian monk 
of the Roman Catholic Church, went to China as a 
Christian missionary and finding direct access to the 
people somewhat difficult, bought one hundred and 
fifty slave boys to whom he taught Latin and Greek 
and also how to copy manuscripts and to chant the 
services of the Romish Church, thus attracting the at- 
tention of the people and even of the Emperor, who 
went to hear these boys sing and ring the bells of the 
Church which Monte Corvino had built at Peking. 
Much to the same purpose, but not in the same man- 
ner, the Rev. Peter J. Zwemer sought to reach the 
natives at Muscat and to carry out a purpose of the 


90 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Arabian Mission which had been recognized from the 
beginning—when it was declared that the Mission 
would be “especially in behalf of Moslems and 
slaves.’ ‘This opportunity came to Mr. Zwemer in 
1896 when two “slave-dhows,” or native ships, were 
captured by British naval and Government officials 
under an agreement between the ‘Turkish and Eng- 
lish governments to break up the slave trade in the 
Persian Gulf. “Slaves thus liberated,’ wrote Mr. 
Zwemer, “while under the age of eighteen, are under 
the protection and are virtually the wards of the 
English government and from the Persian Gulf are 
usually sent to Bombay where they are under police 
surveillance. His Majesty’s government, however, 
is not averse to giving them over to any suitable 
party who will support and train them until they 
reach the age of eighteen, when they receive their 
liberation papers. On hearing of the capture of the 
dhows, therefore, I went to the Political Agent and 
requested that the boy-slaves be given me for sup- 
port and training. My request was favorably re- 
ceived and there were given me fourteen slave-boys, 
all Suahili speaking but of various African peoples, 
and with one exception under twelve years of age. 
At last, therefore, an opportunity offers of opening 
a mission school for rescued slaves, similar to those at 
Zanzibar and the Free Church School at Lovedale. 
I have carefully calculated that $25 will amply pay 
for food and clothing for one boy for a year. To 
this must be added the rental of a suitable building 
and the wages of a teacher.” <A little later four more 
boys were added to the first number and thus com- 
pleted the number of the eighteen charter mem- 


POSSESSING THE LAND 91 


bers (!) of this first rescued slave-boys’ school in all 
Arabia. ‘These boys were taught not only Christian- 
ity but the English language—this being preferred 
to Arabic in order to keep them the more separate 
from the Moslem religion and customs around them. 
They were also given industrial training, and proved 
apt pupils, both in intellectual and manual work. 
Thus was begun a work long contemplated and de- 
sired and one which was very dear to its founder, 
Peter J. Zwemer. He was not, however, to enjoy 
very long this fruition of his plans, as his work was 
interrupted and soon brought to a close by the illness 
which resulted in his return home and his death at 
New York. His successors at Muscat, Mr. Cantine, 
Mr. Barny and Mr. Stone, took up this distinctive 
work with vigor, which thus became in a sense the 
earliest educational work undertaken by the Mission 
and was carried on for many years. 

Educational work, however, whether religious or 
secular, is impossible without literature, and the early 
missionaries greatly desired a small printing outfit so 
that certain literature, cards, tracts, leaflets or even 
small books, which they might find particularly use- 
ful for their work, could be printed. Such a press 
was given to the Mission in November, 1895, and 
after a few months from it was issued the first anti- 
Moslem tract probably ever printed in Arabia, since, 
because of the British protectorate, Muscat was then 
the only place in all Arabia where such printing 
could be done with safety. This tract was a transla- 
tion of Rouse’s “Jesus or Mohammed; On Which 
Will You Rely,” published in English by the Chris- 
tian Literature Society at Madras. While, of course, 


92 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


the capacity of this printing press was very limited, 
yet it became very useful to the Mission, and was 
the humble forerunner of the American Christian 
Literature Society for Moslems, whose production of 
Christian literature in Arabic and allied languages 
is now so essential a factor of missionary work in 
Moslem lands. 

Beginning with 1897 all branches of the work 
made a steady and encouraging progress. ‘The Rev. 
Peter J. Zwemer was enabled to make quite an ex- 
tended trip into the interior of Oman, visiting with 
his colporteur a number of towns and villages to 
which the Gospel message, whether printed or writ- 
ten, had never before been carried. His route car- 
ried him away from the coast into the uplands of the 
Gebel Akhdhar, or Green Mountains. Here is found 
a hilly country, rising to an height of 6,000 to 7,000 
feet, with valleys well watered and fertile and with 
temperatures of no greater heat than 80 degrees even 
in summer, while snow and ice are no unfamiliar 
sight during the winter months. One mountain vil- 
lage called Sheraegah, Mr. Zwemer said, “is ideally 
beautiful, lying in a circular ravine several hundred 
feet in depth and like a huge amphitheatre, on whose 
terraces apples, peaches, pomegranates, grapes and 
other temperate products grow in rich profusion.” 
But it was not the natural beauties that appealed 
most strongly to the heart of the missionary, for Mr. 
Zwemer adds, “At opportune seasons all Oman 
seems to be accessible and our regret is that we are 
single handed in this work. It is our purpose and 
plan, God willing, to supply every village in Oman 
with the Word of God, but we need reinforcements 


POSSESSING THE LAND 93 


to assist us in this work.” (From the “Quarterly 
Field Report,” January-March, 1897.) 

In the same report from which we take these words 
of hopeful prophecy we find also these words of 
thankful retrospect from the senior missionary, Rev. 
James Cantine, written on the occasion of his first 
visit to Muscat after his return from his first fur- 
lough in America, “From Bahrain I accompanied 
P. J. Zwemer back to Muscat, where I had the op- 
portunity of renewing the acquaintance made six 
years before. It was a great joy to see and recall 
what God had wrought in that time. Then I was the 
only missionary in all Eastern Arabia (Bishop 
French had died at Muscat a few days before my 
arrival) ; now our Mission and its workers are known 
by name or sight in many a town between Baghdad 
and Aden. ‘Then there was met an almost universal 
skepticism as to our ability to accomplish anything, 
or even to live in Arabia. Now, not to speak of our 
other stations, we have at Muscat a school, a print- 
ing-press, a Bible-shop and an accessible ‘hinterland’ 
large enough to satisfy the most ambitious. The hand 
of the Lord has indeed gone before us!” 

The medical work also showed steady progress 
during the year. Dr. Worrall was able to make quite 
an extensive tour to the north during the spring 
and visited the two points, Amarah and Nasiriya, 
that later were opened as sub-stations to the Bas- 
rah headquarters. At the home station the work 
was carried on with but little interruption except 
while the doctor was on tour and with constantly in- 
creasing evidence that to help or heal the sick is the 
one sure method of reaching them with some knowl- 


94 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


edge of Him who went about Judea, healing all man- 
ner of diseases and saying to the sick in soul, “Re- 
pent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” 

This year was also marked by the arrival of a new 
missionary, the Rev. Fred. J. Barny, who joined the 
station at Basrah in the fall of 1897, and even before 
he had advanced very far in the language held Chris- 
tian services through the help of an interpreter. 
Thus the force was very steadily though slowly in- 
creased and the little “army of occupation” faced its 
great task with courage and hope because commis- 
sioned by Him who has promised, “Lo, I am with 
you always.” 


DEATH OF PETER ZWEMER 


But these advances were to be made only in the 
face of difficulties that with a less determined and 
consecrated group of workers would almost have 
caused the abandonment of their efforts. The “fiery 
trials” were yet to come upon them and of these the 
first was the death of the Rev. Peter J. Zwemer, 
whose zeal and skill in carrying on the work at the 
most exacting station of the Mission (Muscat) had 
been a constant source of courage and thanksgiving 
to his fellow workers. In the early part of 1898 his 
health suffered severely and though he rallied some- 
what, it soon became apparent that a radical change 
was essential. Accordingly he left Arabia in the lat- 
ter part of May, 1898, so ill that he had to be carried 
aboard the steamer, and when he reached New York 
on July 12th, it was only to be taken immediately to 
the Presbyterian Hospital. Here he lingered for 


POSSESSING THE LAND » 95 


about three months, when, in spite of all that skill . 


and love could do for him, he passed. sed Away, the first 
American martyr of the Arabian Mission. He was 
young and strong, full of vigor and earnest effort, 
when he left his home to go to Arabia. Within five 
short but mtense years of service he returned not 
“with his shield but on his shield.” He was but 
thirty years of age, yet his only murmur was that he 
could not return to the furnace heat, the privations 
and the labors of Muscat, to carry on the work he 
loved so well. 

His death was a stunning blow to the little band 
of workers to each of which every one of their num- 
ber was so closely and tenderly bound. As his fellow 
missionary, Mr. Cantine, wrote of him in the Report 
for October, 1898, “Of those qualities which make 
for success in our field he had not a few. His social 
instincts led him at once to make friends among the 
Arabs and while his vocabulary was still very limited 
he would spend hours in the coffee-shops and in the 
gathering places of the,town. His exceptional mus- 
ical talents also attracted and made for him many 
acquaintances among those he was seeking to reach, 
besides proving a constant pleasure to his associates 
and a most important aid in all our public services. 
And many a difficulty was surmounted by his hope- 
fulness and buoyancy of dispositon, which even pain 
and sickness could not destroy. ‘To his enthusiasm in 
advocating his plans is due both the inauguration 
and development of the Mission Station at Muscat. 
The school for freed slaves at that place is the out- 
come of his individual effort carried forward in the 
face of many difficulties, and it will, we trust, prove 


96 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


an enduring, living monument to his memory. As 
his successor at Muscat, I was witness to the affec- 
tion with which the little fellows clung round him at 
his departure, and to their sorrowful bearing for 
many days, a sorrow which must have risen with a 
fresh and deeper pang when they heard of his death. 
Two of the oldest have just written to me how sorry 
they feel and how they think of the ‘dear Sahib’ 
when they sing the songs he taught them. He surely 
was a father to them from the time when, dispirited 
in mind, broken in body, and warped in morals, they 
were taken from the slaver’s hold. Their steady 
growth in many directions was a great joy to him, 
only to be exceeded by that in which he will welcome 
them to a place by his side in the great hereafter.” 


REINFORCEMENTS 


“God’s workmen fall but the work goes on.” 
While Peter Zwemer lay dying in the Presbyterian 
Hospital at New York, his brother Samuel, cheered 
by the then apparent hope of Peter’s recovery and 
return to Arabia, was hastening on his way back to 
the Mission accompanied by Mrs. Zwemer with little 
Katharina, their first child, and also by Miss Mar- 
garet Rice and the Rev. George E. Stone, new re- 
eruits for the work before them. ‘The party sailed 
from New York on August 17, 1898, and on Sep- 
tember 17th, while passing down the Red Sea “along 
the barren rocky coast of owr homeland,” as he calls 
it, Missionary Zwemer thus soliloquizes: “From 
Sinai to Aden, more than a thousand miles and not a 
single witness for Christ; from Jiddah and unholy 





REV. PETER J. ZWEMER 





THE FREED SLAVE SCHOOL, MUSCAT 


ca 
5 ; ry 


fas 


—_ t= 





POSSESSING THE LAND 97 


Mecca across to Bahrain stretches the great peninsu- 
la, and yet no herald of the Gospel has ever followed 
the great caravans in either direction to prepare the 
way of the Lord. Darkest Arabia, indeed; in spite 
of the tiny beacon lights on the eastern coast, neg- 
lected still. It may be a glorious achievement, as 
we are told, to secure four new workers for these ten 
millions and by a year’s incessant preaching, plead- 
ing, praying and pumping to raise money sufficient 
to send them forth! And yet we feel the old burden 
of Arabia, and cannot help feel it as we look at those. 
untrodden coasts. 


“Through midnight gloom from Macedon, 
The cry of myriads as of one; 
The voiceless silence of despair 
Is eloquent in aweful prayer; 

The soul’s exceeding bitter cry: 
‘Come o’er and help us, or we die!’ 
Yet with that cry from Macedon 
The very car of Christ rolls on. 

‘I come; who would abide My day, 
In yonder wilds prepare my way ;— 
My voice is crying in their cry, 
Help ye the dying, lest ye die.’ ”’ 


At Karachi, India, Miss Rice, as one of the party 
put it, “passed from the care of tutors and govern- 
ors” into life partnership with the Rev. F. J. Barny, 
who had come from Muscat to meet her. The mar- 
riage took place on October 19, 1898, at the Church 
of the Holy Trinity at Camp near Karachi. With 
this notable change in their party they proceeded up 
the Gulf and to their several stations. 


98 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Soon after the arrival of these new recruits, the 
terrible shock of the news of Peter J. Zwemer’s death 
fell upon all the Mission, but nothing daunted in 
their purposes, they simply made a new disposition 
of their forces and “carried on,” sustained by their 
unfaltering faith in Him who has promised “when 
thou passest through the fire I will be with thee— 
and through the floods they shall not overflow thee.” 


GEORGE E. STONE 


Mr. Barny had been at Muscat from August, 
1898, and thither he returned with his bride the 
middle of October. Next New Year he was laid low 
with a severe attack of typhoid during which Mrs. 
Barny was also ill with malaria. Ior their relief, the 
Mission could make but one disposition and that was 
to send Mr. Stone to take up the work, though he had 
had but four months’ training in the language. Mr. 
and Mrs. Barny went to India to convalesce and 
after a short stay they returned to Basrah station 
where Dr. and Mrs. 'Thoms had arrived a short time 
before. Mr. Stone did good work at Muscat in spite 
of the handicap of insufficient preparation in the 
language. He took much interest in the Rescued 
Slave Boys’ School, of which he says: “The rescued 
slave school has required my constant attention. 
Whether the Christian influences of the last three 
years are to triumph must soon be determined. ‘The 
daily Bible study and family prayers and the Sun- 
day services have been continued and they have 
shown much interest in them all. The discipline and 
general behavior of the boys has left much to be de- 


POSSESSING THE LAND 99 


‘sired, but there has been a noticeable improvement 
of late which I hope will prove to be permanent. 
They read the New Testament quite readily. They 
do nearly all the work about the house, cooking their 
rice and fish, drawing water for the date trees and 
sweeping house, yard and surrounding streets. The 
placing of the older boys in positions where they can 
live usefully and independently is the problem before 
us now and one which will require wisdom to settle 
satisfactorily. More than ever we need the prayers 
of God’s people for this school.” 

In January, 1899, the Mission was further rein- 
forced by the first medical missionary to be on the 
field at the same time as his predecessor. ‘This was 
Sharon J. Thoms, M. D., and Mrs. Thoms, whose 
arrival at Basrah set Dr. Worrall free to spend 
some time at Bahrain, where the demand for medical 
work was growing continually more insistent. This 
addition to the Mission forces was hailed with great 
joy, not only because of the strengthening of the 
force itself, but because it was constantly becoming 
more evident that the medical work was the most 
direct and promising way to reach the thought and 
friendship of the Arabs. 

Once more, however, the shadow of death fell over 
this devoted little band. The Rev. George E. Stone, 
who had arrived in Arabia only about nine months 
earlier and had been in Muscat only since the end of 
February, had been feeling somewhat exhausted by 
the terrible heat and the responsibilities of the new 
work which, despite his inexperience, he had been 
carrying on with great faithfulness and with no small 
degree of success. On the arrival of Mr. Cantine at 


100 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Muscat in June, some relief was possible and Mr. 
Stone went to Birka, a few miles up the coast, where 
the air was supposed to be somewhat purer and the 
heat less intense than at Muscat. At first he wrote 
that he was feeling better but within three or four 
days he suddenly suffered an attack of heat-apo- 
plexy, June 28, 1899, and in a few hours he had 
gone. The blow fell unexpectedly and with almost 
crushing force upon his fellow missionaries. What 
could it all mean? ‘Two of the youngest and seem- 
ingly the physically strongest of the members of the 
Mission had fallen within nine months of each other. 
Was this indeed the voice of God calling for witness 
bearing even unto death? If otherwise, it failed of 
its purpose. Never were these pioneers more. de- 
termined to plant the Cross in the heart of the Cres- 
cent. As 8S. M. Zwemer wrote: “If the death of two 
American Missionaries for Muscat does not awaken 
men to the needs of dark Eastern Arabia, what will? 
Being dead our brothers will speak. You know what 
their message would be if they spoke it from your 
pulpit or in your parlor. It would be a message like 
that of Krapf from East Africa: ‘Our God bids us 
first build a cemetery before we build a church or 
dwelling house, showing that the resurrection of East 
Africa must be effected by our own destruction. 
Our sanguine expectations and hopes of immediate 
success may be laid in the grave like Lazarus, yet 
they shall have a resurrection and our eyes shall see 
the glory of the Lord at last.’ ” . 

Mr. Zwemer also paid his loving tribute to the 
memory of his brother missionary thus: “We mourn 
the loss of dear Stone not only, but we miss him. 


POSSESSING THE LAND 101 


Given to the Mission in answer to prayer, he proved 
from the first day until his death his divine eall to 
the work by a spirit of self-denial and utter disre- 
gard of his own plans and wishes where God’s work 
was at stake. He was the man of our hopes during 
the months we lived together in the same cramped 
quarters at Bahrain. He had no romantic ideas 
of mission work, but took hold of grim realities with 
a grip that meant business. He set himself to battle, 
like a flint, against the strength of Islam and the 
intricacies of Arabic; though in both cases patient 
toil is generally first rewarded by hope deferred. 
Sturdy, manly, honest to the core, with common 
sense and uncommon judgment, he was willing to 
plod. Although it was his lot to come to Bahrain 
where there are no Kuropeans and where native life 
is perhaps more primitive than at any of our other 
stations, he fell in love with the new environment and 
laughed heartily at the idea that it was a sacrifice to 
live at Bahrain.” 

And in a letter home, written shortly after his 
arrival on the field, and published in the “Auburn 
Seminary Review,” Mr. Stone himself thus voices his 
own impressions and convictions: “You ask what I 
think of it now that I am on the spot. First: that 
the need has not been exaggerated, and that Moham- 
medanism is as bad as it is painted. Second: that we 
have a splendid fighting chance here in Arabia, and 
the land is open enough so that we can enter if we 
will. If a man never got beyond the Bahrain Islands 
he would have a parish of fifty thousand souls. 
Third: that on account of the ignorance of the people 
they must be taught by word of mouth, and, there- 


102 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


fore, if we are to reach them all, we must have many 
helpers. Fourth: that I am glad I came to Arabia, 
and that to me has been given a part in this struggle. 
I do firmly believe that the strength of Islam has 
been overestimated, and that if ever the Church can 
be induced to throw her full weight against it, it will 
be found an easier conquest than we imagine—not 
but what it will cost lives, it has always been so, but 
I do believe that Islam.is doomed.” Little did he 
probably think when he penned these closing words 
that his own life would be the next one offered up 
on the altar of sacrifice for Arabia and that through 
his faithfulness even unto death one more step 
would be taken toward encompassing “the doom of 
Islam.” 

Amid all these changes and trials there were occa- 
sional glimpses of the sunshine of hope and blessing. 
At times the missionaries were gladdened by evi- 
dences that their labor was not in vain in the Lord. 
One such was a conversation which Mr. Barny held 
with two Arabs who visited the Bible Shop at Basrah. 
They asked: “If Ksa (Jesus) was God, how could 
He have died, for surely God cannot die?” I asked 
if it is not necessary that every one should die that is 
born of woman. ‘They said: “No doubt.” I asked: 
“If Esa was born of Mary and thus became in- 
carnate, was He not a perfect man?” When they 
admitted that, I said, ““We Christians believe in the 
Holy Books which God sent down to the Jews and 
Christians, and these Books teach that Esa is perfect 
God and perfect man, and your Koran testifies to 
that as you well know. So that it was the body 
which was born of Mary which died, but the divinity 


POSSESSING THE LAND 103 


of Christ was not in any way affected or corrupted.” 
They said, “Prove us that.” I said: “If the sun 
shines on a wall you can destroy that wall and in no 
way affect the shining of the sun’s light, and thus the 
death of Christ’s body did not affect His divinity.” 
They then said, “Yes, it is hard to understand the 
rank of Esa. He is greater than all the prophets.” 
I asked: “Greater than the prophet Mohammed?” 
They said: “Yes, our prophet did not understand the 
rank of Esa. ‘The rank which God gave to Esa is 
greater than human understanding.” This from 
Moslems! A confession like this seems strange, but 
we must remember that while Moslems may recog- 
nize the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, Mohammed is 
still for them “the seal of the prophets,” whose dic- 
tum sets aside whatever does not agree with his 
Koran. 


EARLY BAPTISMS 


Another such incident was the baptism of Lydia, 
the wife of the persecuted Amarah convert. She and 
her three children came to Bahrain as she had to flee 
from Baghdad in order to escape being forcibly kept 
in the Moslem religion by the Turks. 'They threat-- 
ened to remarry her to a Moslem and put the chil- 
dren into the Turkish Government School. Faithful 
to her husband and desirous herself to become a 
Christian, she forsook all and fled here (Bahrain) via 
Basrah. It was a wonder she escaped, as not only 
the government, but the Jesuits at Baghdad, laid 
snares for her. Since coming to us here she has re- 
ceived some instruction. On Saturday, June 30th, 


104 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


she was examined as to her faith in Christ, and al- 
though she still needed further teaching we thought 
best to baptize them, especially since I had promised 
the father, who is still in exile, to care for the chil- 
dren as my own in case he never returned. One of 
our new colporteurs was received into full member- 
ship on confession. So that on that Sunday morning 
meeting together to baptize Lydia, Nejma, Razouki 
and Meyjid, it was a time of praise. ‘The mother re- 
nounced Islam with all its errors, professed faith in 
the Son of God and promised to teach her children in 
the truth of the Gospel. As she knelt to receive the 
sign of baptism all our hearts went up in prayer to 
God. At the afternoon service in our little sitting- 
room we remembered the death of Christ. It was 
only a small company, twelve all told, but God was 
with us. 

In December, 1899, the Rev. Harry J. Wiersum 
joined the Mission, and took up the usual first work 
of the recruit, the study of Arabic, of which in his 
early letters home he writes with conviction as a most 
difficult and perplexing language. 

The question of the continuance of the Slave Boys’ 
School at Muscat also arose about this time. This 
School had now been in operation for almost four 
years since it was first started by Peter J. Zwemer, 
and it had become a problem what to do with the 
older boys especially, who had become very restive 
under the restraints and monotony of school life and 
were anxious to get into a more active and wider ex- 
perience. ‘The accession of new pupils also had been 
happily restricted, through the activity of the British 
Government against the slave trade, so that but few 


POSSESSING THE LAND 105 


boys were available to take the room of those who 
were “graduated” from the school and placed in 
various positions of service. It was, therefore, finally 
determined to retain only four of the youngest boys 
in care of the Mission and to find suitable work of 
some kind for the older ones. Almost all were final- 
ly provided for in the service of the different stations 
of the Misssion, or in the homes of natives or foreign- 
ers of good character. T'wo of the older boys shipped 
on board the British gunboat “Sphinx” and thus in 
one way or another situations were found for all. 

This practical closing of the school is thus com- 
mented on by Mr. Cantine: “Our school, experi- 
mental as it was in its beginning, has surely proved 
itself a success, and we may joyfully acknowledge 
the leading of God’s providence in all its ways. As 
we compare the boys now with what was their condi- 
tion four years ago, and then note the possibilities of 
. their future, we can easily say that the time and 
strength spent in their behalf have not been in vain, 
and that the prayers of God’s people for them have 
been and will be abundantly answered. We also feel 
that the influence of this our humble attempt within 
the confines of Muscat to show the love and com- 
passion of our Master, will not be without its result 
upon the larger expanse of His Kingdom.” 

And so with this year, 1899, the first ten years of 
the life of the Arabian Mission were fulfilled, a 
decade since James Cantine sailed from New York 
in October, 1889, to prepare himself for the work 
and to “spy out the land” that it might be occupied 
for Christ. It had been a decade of severe labor, of 
earnest thought, of “journeyings oft,’ of perils and 


106 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


of much prayer; a decade of hope deferred, of ob- 
stacles erected by fanaticism and indifference, of 
bodily privations and sufferings and of sore bereave- 
ments; and yet a decade which had seen faith 
honored, prayer answered, stricken hearts comforted 
and experience gained in the mighty task of break- 
ing down the prejudices and animosities of a thou- 
sand years and forcing upon the unwilling attention 
of the followers of Mohammed the claims and the 
promises of a compassionate Christ. The next dec- 
ade was to show an almost unexpected growth and 
success. 


CHaAprer VII. 
STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 
1899-1909 


The first ten years of missionary operations in 
Arabia may be considered as the time of “spying out 
the land,” when much had to be learned regarding 
conditions suitable for the work. ‘The search for 
strategic centres had led to the permanent occupa- 
tion of three stations and two out-stations. Ex- 
tensive touring had been carried on by missionaries 
and colporteurs along the coast and into the interior 
and much of the geography of the field was known. 
In developing the favorable means of approach to 
the people, work for men, women and children had 
been established at the stations along evangelistic, 
medical and educational Imes. As a result of the ex- 
perience gained several facts of great value for the 
future of the work were established. First, it was 
proved that European and American men and 
women could live and work in east Arabia, even in 
the extremely unfavorable climate of the coast, pro- 
vided suitable precautions were taken. And second- 
ly, the fiction that Arabia was inaccessible to the 
Gospel was disproved and the counter fact estab- 
lished that even in “the land long since neglected” 
the word and Spirit of God are, as everywhere else, 
the savor of life unto life to as many as believe. Pub- 


107 


108 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


lic preaching was not allowed and at times individual 
and even governmental hostility might be shown, but 
by not needlessly arousing the antagonism and fanat- 
icism of the people and by showing that it was their 
social and spiritual welfare they sought, the mission- 
aries found the way open before them. In the period 
now before us, which may well be considered the time 
of “strengthening the stakes,’ we shall see how the 
“thin red line” of Christ’s soldiers becomes a fair 
company and the stations, for so long like mere out- 
posts, become well manned bases; how the uncertain- 
ty of having to occupy rented quarters was ex- 
changed for the permanence of purchased property 
and buildings erected by the Mission and how the 
various agencies developed into vigorous plants. 


THE FORCE 


The force of missionaries at the beginning of the 
year 1900 consisted of six men and three women, of 
whom three were fully qualified physicians. With 
the increase in the number of workers it was now 
possible to put into operation the rules of the Mis- 
sion relating to language study. A two-year course 
of study covering the spoken and written Arabic and 
Islamics is prescribed, with an examination at the end 
of each year. The purpose of the scheme of studies 
is to fit the recruit to become ‘‘a workman that need- 
eth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the (Arabic) 
word of truth.” The policy of the Mission was and 
is to give every one equal opportunity to acquire the 
language. Whether it was in the earlier years of 
which we are writing or later when the force had 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 109 


doubled and trebled, the temptation to put some 
much needed recruit to work at once was put reso- 
lutely aside and as a result a high percentage of 
attainment in language characterizes the Mission. 
What this has meant and still means to new mission- 
aries was expressed by Mr. Wiersum in his first 
letter for publication in Neglected Arabia. “T live 
in an atmosphere of Arabic, ever listening to others 
or studying with Yusef at my side, while the last 
thing at night I hear Arabic as it falls from the lips 
of the late passers-by. In this way I hope faith- 
fully to toil on day by day till the day dawns when 
I may deliver in this tongue the message I have come 
to bring—the message of Christ crucified; in the 
meantime I bid you “ma salaam” (Good bye!).” 
From now on also the yearly gathering of the mis- 
sionaries for conference and the purposes of business 
assumes its place of importance. In a field extend- 
ing along a thousand miles of coast where weeks of 
travel with a corresponding expenditure of funds 
were involved in coming together, the simpler way of 
government by committees or delegates might have 
been developed. But the need of spiritual fellowship 
and the inherent democracy of Presbyterianism over- 
came merely physical difficulties, with the result that 
the unity of the field has been preserved and the soli- 
darity of the force cherished. ‘These meetings were 
attended with no little sacrifice of comfort, but the 
prospect of spiritual fellowship and _ social inter- 
course outweighed the risk of storms and the irk- 
some delays of quarantine. Indeed, the meeting of 
1902 was held in quarantine in Basrah, apparently 
with profit and satisfaction. Mr. Van KEss_ tells 


110 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


about his first experience thus in part: “The Annual 
Meeting is the event of the year. After twelve 
months of continued and somewhat isolated labor, 
the workers, of course, look forward to a short season 
of Christian intercourse and of civilized sociability. 
Such it truly is. Those of exuberant spirits over- 
flow and those otherwise disposed are revived and 
rejuvenated. Thus by giving good cheer we are not 
poorer and by losing dejection and despondency we 
are truly richer. But the social phase of the annual 
meeting is by no means the prime object. We gather 
for work.” 

In this second decade from 1900 to 1909 there 
were appointed twenty-one regular missionaries and 
one short-term woman doctor who, however, served 
for a period of only nine months. True to the inde- 
pendent origin of the Mission, these men and women 
came from five different denominations, viz., Re- 
formed (9), Episcopal (4), Methodist E:piscopal 
(3), Congregational (3) and Presbyterian (2). Of 
the eight men four were ordained, three doctors and 
one a teacher; of the women five were doctors, two 
nurses and six evangelistic workers. One of these, 
Miss Josselyn, had to return to America on account 
of the failure of her health in 1910. There were 
three deaths: 

Rev. Harry J. Wiersum died August 3, 1901. 

Mrs. Marion Wells Thoms died April 25, 1905. 

Mrs. Jessie Vail Bennett died January 21, 1906. 
At the end of 1909 there were, therefore, twenty-six 
missionaries on the roll of the Mission, an increase 
for the period of almost 200%, a truly remarkable 
increase. Most of this growth came from 1906 on, 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 111 


when four were received; and in 1909 there were five. 
The Mission continually kept its need before the 
churches, and the Trustees loyally seconded these 
appeals and if the Church could have measurably 
kept up with the vision of the missionaries, who could 
say what the result might have been today. Some- 
times the appeal for help is pathetic as it sets forth 
the great need of the country and contrasts this with 
the pitiful smallness of the force or it becomes strong 
in its confidence in the Church at home and always 
it breathes a living faith in the Lord of the Vineyard. 
Thus in 1902 the Mission made a formal report to 
the Trustees: 


“In January, 1900, the Mission unanimously resolved ‘that 
in view of the present needs and promise of the work we 
appeal to the Board for the following reinforcements to be 
sent out immediately: Two single ladies for evangelistic work, 
a medical missionary for touring in Oman and a specially 
qualified worker (lay, medical or clerical) for evangelistic work 
among the Bedawin tribes.’ 

“In January 1901, after a year of fruitless expectation, the 
Mission reiterated this plea and at that time Mr. Wiersum 
was still with us. His death left a large gap, yet unfilled, and 
the more need for the very workers he pled for with us. We 
desire to lay before you the following unvarnished facts:’ 
The report then points out the necessity of some reserve to 
meet emergencies and the needs of ever recurring furloughs, 
how one medical man cannot hold a hospital and tour, why it 
is perfectly feasible for single ladies to live and work in this 
country, why it is not possible to increase native agencies, 
thereby obviating the increase in the force from America and 
finally that political developments indicate the growing im- 
portance of the field. 


Another such ““Memorial on Reinforcements” was 
sent home in 1909 in which the same plea is made 


Le THE ARABIAN MISSION 


and almost on the same ground. “The work in the 
several stations has grown to such an extent that t 
missionaries find it most difficult to break away for 
necessary visits to out-stations and touring in sur- 
rounding districts. . . . All the work of past years 
has opened new opportunities for out-stations and 
the people are asking for doctors and teachers.” And 
the memorial concludes by asking for eleven workers, 
which request also had*its response in a few years, 
even though it was not exactly as detailed. 

In considering the number of missionaries avail- 
able for work it must be remembered that this land 
“that devoureth the inhabitants thereof” takes not 
only a heavy toll of life but also of the health and 
strength of those who come from cooler climates. 
Because of this, more frequent returns to America 
are necessary than in the case of most other mission 
fields. Experience has shown that the wise division 
of time is five and one-half years on the field and a 
year and a half at home, which means that on the 
average only four-fifths of the force is available at 
any one time. As a matter of fact there is no aver- 
age possible, for obvious reasons, since recruits are 
not sent out in any regularity and life and health 
cannot be controlled. ‘There are always those who 
stay beyond the regular term, and there were such in 
this period, but on the other hand there were also 
cases in which sickness made shorter terms of service 
necessary. ‘The missionary on furlough is on service 
still and works for his mission among the churches. 
In 1905 Dr. and Mrs. Zwemer returned to America 
on furlough. Dr. Zwemer became Candidate Secre- 
tary for the Student Volunteer Movement and Field 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 1138 


eretary for his own Mission, and it was owing 
l#gely to his tireless energy that the increase in rein- 
forcements and in the income of the Mission during 
the second half of this period was secured. 


NATIVE HELPERS 


The growth of the native force in numbers during 
this decade kept pace with that of the missionaries. 
These helpers were members of Christian communi- 
ties in Baghdad, Mosul and Mardin and other cities 
in Central Turkey. It is a frequent remark of the 
missionaries that these assistants are as much mis- 
sionaries as they themselves, in that they come from 
great distances, and for them also conditions are new 
and strange. ‘The tendency begun towards the end 
of the first decade to secure helpers from Mardin be- 
came practically a habit, for the American Board 
missionaries there showed their interest in the work 
in Arabia by selecting suitable men and women as 
they were called for. In 1900 there were ten native 
helpers and in 1909 twenty-five, the largest increase 
being in hospital assistants, from one to eleven, in 
which class also there was a corresponding advance 
in quality from the untrained to the capable dis- 
penser and the efficient nurse. 


MUSCAT PROPERTY 


“Whatever work you do and wherever you have to 
do it, be sure that your dwelling houses are as com- 
fortable as you can make them and as healthfully sit- 
uated.” This, Mr. Cantine said, was the parting ad- 


114 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


vice, when he set out for Arabia, from an honored 
missionary of many years’ experience in the Orient. 
This good advice could not be put to use at once and 
had to be stored up for some years at each of the sta- 
tions until a foothold was won and the right of the 
Mission to remain was ceded. In the first years it 
was a question of getting any sort of a house, and 
when at last property could be purchased and build- 
ings were erected it was the visible sign of “strength- 
ening the stakes.” Property was secured first at the 
last of the three original stations to be occupied. Mr. 
Cantine relates, “Our experience with houses in Mus- 
cat has been varied. When I first reached here (in 
1891) I occupied, during my two weeks’ stay, rooms 
over a native store house—the same from which 
Bishop French was carried to his grave a month or 
two before. When Peter Zwemer came to occupy 
this station later on, he hired a native house, one of 
the best in Muscat, only to be compelled to move 
out to make room for a French consul. Again he 
hired a house and made a few necessary repairs, but 
before the year was up the roof fell in—fortunately 
while he was away. I do not remember how many 
changes were eventually made before the last, which 
took him outside the walls and to our present loca- 
tion.” Partly owing to the fact that there was an 
American Consul on the spot Mr. Zwemer’s position 
was less difficult, although one of the places pointed 
out to the writer occupied by him was certainly not 
“the best in Muscat.” The negotiations for the pur- 
chase of the house and plot of land were made easier 
by the fact that the owner was a Hindu, but the con- 
summation of the deal, when the Sultan affixed his — 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 115 


seal to the deed, thus guaranteeing the title, was a 
real victory and marked the end of the period of 
prejudice and uncertainty. The house was old and 
not well suited for a family dwelling nor for the 
needs of the work until Mr. Cantine rebuilt it in 
large part. With four large rooms and large veran- 
dahs upstairs and a guest hall and rooms for school 
and church downstairs, it has answered its purpose 
since its completion in 1908. Native Moslem preju- 
dice against selling land to Christians passed largely 
away thereafter and the Sultan himself gave a piece 
of land for a garden in front of the rebuilt house, 
later also for a cemetery nearby. Several pieces of 
land adjoining the original plot were purchased, so 
that by 1909 the Mission owned about two acres of 
land, the practical result of which was that the sur- 
roundings could be kept sanitary. In the spring of 
1908 was completed the Peter J. Zwemer Memorial 
School, a substantial one-story building with a room 
measuring twenty by thirty feet and costing $1,200. 


BAHRAIN PROPERTY 


At Bahrain, the renting of houses and final pur- 
chase of property is a parable of the driving of the 
stake of permanence. That first windowless room 
which served for a shelter for Mr. Zwemer on his 
first visit suggested nothing at all of permanence. 
Not much better but yet more promising was “the 
small upper room over a warehouse and next to a 
large coffee shop in the dyers’ quarter whence all the 
odors of Oriental filth proceed.” It was a step in ad- 
vance when the “house hard by the sea” was secured 


116 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


with its exposure to the Shemals (north winds) from 
the sea, where Mrs. Zwemer founded the first Chris- 
tian home on the island and began her work for the 
women. ‘The tenure was secure enough while the 
rent contract lasted but the structure was not so. It 
was still the time when threats were rife to drive the 
troublesome missionaries away. When the term of 
the lease expired notice to quit was served. No other 
house was available and the leaders had ordered the 
people under no circumstances to rent their houses. 
The situation had become desperate when, in the nick 
of time, a friendly Persian, not under the control of 
the authorities, contracted to build for them on a 
contract to run for eight years. Prayer, patience and 
perseverance once more won the victory. With this 
larger house available, Dr. and Mrs. Thoms came 
from Basrah in September, 1900, and the medical 
work at once developed to such a degree that the 
need for a hospital was seen and that a few rooms 
and an open court-yard and an outside ward of mat- 
ting with date stick beds would but “slap opportun- 
ity in the face.” An appeal for such a hospital was 
answered in a remarkable way almost at once when 
members of the Mason family of Brooklyn, N. Y., 
gave the sum asked for, $6,000, as a memorial to 
Theodore L. Mason, M.D., and Mr. Edward De- 
Witt Mason, on condition that the Board of Trustees 
should purchase the ground whereon to erect the 
building. A plot of about 300 feet square on what 
was then the outskirts of the town of Menameh was 
secured, and when the Sheikh’s deed of sale was re- 
corded in the British Political Agency there was no 
longer any question as to the permanency of the 


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STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 117 


Mission here. ‘The corner-stone of the hospital was 
laid with appropriate ceremonies on March 19, 1902, 
and at the next Annual Meeting in January, 1903, 
Mason Memorial Hospital was dedicated as the first 
missionary hospital in Arabia to the service of God 
and this land. — 


MASON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL 


It is a two-story building with wide verandahs all 
around. It measures 68 x 100 feet and is built of 
native stone plastered within and without in local 
style. The woodwork is of best India teak and the 
whole has a fine appearance. ‘The out-patient de- 
partments for men and for women are located on the 
first floor; the in-patient department is upstairs, con- 
sisting of wards and operating room with appurte- 
nances. The large ward is 36 x 26 feet, and there is a 
women’s ward and two special wards with accom- 
modation originally for twenty beds. Whenever 
building has to be done, the missionaries must not 
only be their own architects and contractors but they 
must supervise every part of the construction. De- 
tails differ at the several stations as regards material 
and labor but the general task is the same; masons 
must be watched with plumb and level to secure 
straight walls and level floors, and the carpenters 
guided with rule and square. Hight months of this 
exacting work saw the completion of Mason Memor- 
ial Hospital and the expression of thankfulness in 
the report for the year for this accomplishment can 
be appreciated. One attitude of the native mind was 
revealed during the process of building. No one 


118 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


would believe that the new building was to be for 
the sole use of the sick and not for the comfort of the 
missionaries. ‘There was no standard of charity or 
service that would enable them to gauge the mind of 
these Christians who would erect a fine building for 
poor Arabs while they themselves should live in an 
inferior house. The gift of the Hospital was com- 
pleted by the Mason family by the addition of $600 
for equipment and the Young People’s Society of 
the Alto, Wis., Church gave a wind-mill complete to 
provide running water. 


BUILDINGS AT BAHRAIN 


As at the other stations, school and church were 
provided for in downstairs rooms of the dwelling 
house. Considerations of prudence in providing for 
the time when the lease of this house would expire, 
but especially the cheering necessity of having to 
provide for expansion, led the Mission to ask for the 
second building for Bahrain. The Deputation of 
1904 was impressed by the need for this, and at the 
first meeting of the Trustees, after the arrival of Dr. 
Zwemer in America on furlough, it was “Resolved 
that Dr. Zwemer be authorized to raise the sum of 
$2,000 from individuals, outside the ordinary sources 
of income, for a school and chapel building at Bah- 
rain.” Before the close of the year (1905) $2,064.40 
was paid in, and the following year “The Memorial 
School and Chapel,” in memory ‘of those who laid 
down their lives for Arabia, was erected. In Neg- 
lected Arabia for the fourth quarter of 1904 the Cor- 
responding Secretary, Dr. Henry N. Cobb, wrote, 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 119 


“A suitable residence for the missionaries occupying 
this station was also felt to be a necessity; the best 
that could be secured for hire, was in an undesirable 
location, of insufficient capacity and inconvenient ar- 
rangement for so many occupants, and its surround- 
ings were neither attractive nor conducive to health. 
The Mission is in possession of a fine piece of ground 
away from the noise and other annoyances of the 
town and near the hospital—a situation every way 
desirable. ‘To put up a suitable building would cost, 
as estimated, $8,000, and for this amount the Mis- 
sion made request. ‘The task of raising it was also 
confided to Dr. Zwemer. By the generous contri- 
butions of friends in all parts of the Church, but 
especially in the West, the entire amount has been 
subseribed and $7,187.12 actually paid in.” This 
dwelling was completed in 1908 and is adaptable to 
two or three families. 


BASRAH LAND AND HOSPITAL 


In Basrah, after the initial trials of the pioneers, 
the renting of houses offered no serious difficulties. 
During this period various houses were occupied with 
varying degrees of comfort, but with the growth of 
the work each removal proved more and more detri- 
mental to the work, particularly the medical. The 
reason that the purchase of land in this the first of 
the stations to be occupied came last, was that the 
price of land was very high, but especially because of 
the provision in Turkish law whereby a foreigner 
could not hold title to land in his own name. The 
financial problem was solved by the generosity of the 


120 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Church at home under the leadership of the Board of 
Foreign Missions, made effective so largely by the 
labors of Dr. ZGwemer. Then in 1908, upon the July 
Revolution in Turkey, and due to the strong position 
of the Mission’s medical work, a purchase was con- 
summated whereby about four acres of land costing 
$4,620 were secured with a safe title. By later pur- 
chase the plot was rounded out and increased to 
about six acres, paid for by medical fees. When the 
newer section of Basrah, called Ashar, developed, 
this property became centrally located and has in- 
creased greatly in value. In this year of 1908 “a 
devoted friend” gave the sum of $6,000 for a second 
hospital in Arabia, which the Trustees voted to locate 
at Basrah. After lengthy negotiations and a special 
trip of Dr. Bennett to Constantinople for the pur- 
pose, the permit to build The Lansing Memorial 
Hospital was secured in 1909 and operations begun. 
Thus at each of the three stations the stakes were 
permanently driven. 


TOURING 


The second decade, then, opened with a force of 
nine members who disposed themselves on the field 
as follows: Mr. Cantine was stationed at Muscat 
with Mr. Wiersum doing his first year’s language 
study; Mr. and Mrs. Zwemer were at Bahrain and 
Mr. and Mrs. Barny at Basrah with Dr. and Mrs. 
Thoms as second year language students. Dr. Wor- 
rall’s furlough fell due this year and he went home in 
the spring. One main objective in the securing of 
these appointments was the extension of the work:of 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 121 


touring, and much in this line was accomplished. 
Mr. Barny, alone or assisted by the doctor, toured 
the river country. The second mention of Kuwait 
as a possible out-station is made in the report of the 
year, the prospects of medical work being particular- 
ly stressed. At Bahrain Mr. Zwemer cultivated his 
field by local and distant touring. Starting out with 
Colporteur Elias by native craft he went to the Pirate 
Coast, which now became regular touring territory 
of the Mission until it was closed to all foreigners. 
What Mr. Zwemer wrote at the time indicates some 
of the conditions which those had to face who went 
thither on errands of mercy. “The Arabs of Sharga 
and the other coast towns are as notorious now for 
immorality as they were once for piracy. No part 
of Arabia that I have visited can vie with this coast 
in the coarseness of talk and looseness of morals. 
The population is nearly one-half Negro or of Negro 
descent and, in spite of all assertions to the contrary, 
the trade in slaves is still carried on secretly.” ‘They 
struck out from Sarka by a new route across the 
north Oman peninsula to Sohar on the Batina coast. 
This journey proved the people everywhere access- 
ible by means of colportage. From Muscat the cen- 
tral part of Oman was visited by Mr. Cantine and 
though an attempt to reach Jebel Akhdhar was frus- 
trated by tribal feuds, he also found the country open 
in a remarkable degree to this kind of work. At the 
stations a Bible and book shop was kept open with a 
colporteur in constant attendance and supported by 
the missionaries when not on tour. By such efforts 
there were sold in this} year 3,646 portions of Scrip- 
ture and 198 Bibles and Testaments, a total of 3,844. 


122 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


There were also sold 1,885 copies of other literature, 
controversial, religious and educational. A guarded 
use of controversial books was from the first felt to 
be a necessity in order to meet scurrilous attacks and 
to break down a too smug complacency. Whatever 
of good literature could be brought to the people had 
a direct missionary value. 


BAHRAIN MEDICAL WORK 


The great advance of this year was in medical 
work when Dr. and Mrs. Thoms were transferred to 
Bahrain. A great deal in this line had been done by 
Mr. and Mrs. Zwemer and their appeals for a quali- 
fied physician could at last be met when these two 
doctors were ready for work and the house had been 
secured, as already related. In what he calls “My 
Valedictory” Mr. Zwemer wrote at the time, “On 
September 11th, Dr. S. J. Thoms came to Bahrain 
from Basrah to take up the medical work and make 
it more worthy of that name than it has hitherto been 
in the hands of a layman. For the past six years we 
have done what we could with quinine and forceps 
and rolls of bandage. ‘The result may not be large in 
statistics or in marvellous cures, but prejudice has 
been disarmed and our present establishment on the 
island is due wholly to friends won over in time of 
their need.” How this work expanded and its needs 
were met by the erection of Mason Memorial Hos- 
pital has already been recorded. While such an 
agency may be thought of separately and in reports 
is usually so treated, it must be noted that a station 
is an entity and an advance in one part reacts favor- 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 123 


ably on the whole. Thus progress was made in the 
schools for boys and girls and work for women took 
a step forward. Mrs. Zwemer initiated this work in 
the beginning of her residence and an increasing 
circle of houses opened to her. When Mrs. Thoms 
became associated with her and employed her medical 
skill many more doors were opened to them. 


HARRY J. WIERSUM 


The year 1901 as regards the location of the mis- 
sionaries and work accomplished was a continuation 
of the previous one but the death of Rev. Harry J. 
Wiersum on August 3d brought a change. As a 
second year student he had been transferred to Bas- 
rah to widen his experience and to assist in tourmg as 
opportunity offered. He had been at Nasiriya for a 
month in the spring and was planning a similar visit 
to Amarah. He arrived there sick and, fortunately, as 
the event proved, he returned at once, for what ap- 
peared to be a severe attack of “fever” turned out 
to be virulent small-pox. He was carefully nursed 
by Mr. and Mrs. Barny, but there was no qualified 
doctor available and in less than a week he passed 
away. Dr. Cobb wrote of him, “We looked for a 
life of marked usefulness because of what the man 
revealed of himself in his letters and because of the 
testimony of his comrades to his winning ways, his 
earnest zeal and fidelity, but on the threshold of his 
work his work ends.” And Mr. Barny wrote of him, 
“His was pre-eminently a cheerful nature, full of 
hope, large in faith. Fully realizing the difficulties 
in this field, he yet looked forward confidently to the 


124 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


time when there would be a Church of Christ in 
Arabia. He realized, too, that this end would not be 
attained without sacrifices and he was willing to 
make them. On several occasions he gave it as his 
opinion that our progress would cost lives. Little 
did he think that the statement would find applica- 
tion so soon in the way it did, but I doubt not that he 
was willing to make the sacrifice. He certainly did 
not count his life dear unto himself. The source of 
his strength, as ever in the Christian life, was in close 
communion with God. Having prevailed with God 
he could prevail with men and thus he was constant- 
ly an inspiration to those who lived with him.” 

In 1902 medical work was reopened by Dr. Wor- 
rall and thus this station was restored to its normal 
activity. While at home he had married Miss Kmma 
Hodge, who had been a medical missionary of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church working in Baroda, 
India. Their return to the field in the fall had been 
delayed for lack of funds, when a friend of the Mis- 
sion paid her outfit and travel expenses and guaran- 
teed her salary, as also that of Mrs. Thoms, for a 
period of five years. In the fall of this year Mr. and 
Mrs. Barny returned to America for one year’s fur- 
lough, and in the winter arrived Rev. John Van Kss, 
who had responded to the appeal for a successor to 
Mr. Wiersum, and also Miss Elizabeth G. DePree, 
whose appointment marked the adoption of the 
policy of sending single lady missionaries to this 
field. ‘The next year Mr. Cantine and Dr. and Mrs. 
Thoms went home on furlough and Mr. and Mrs. 
Barny returned to the field bringing with them Miss 
Jane A. Seardefield, who had just been appointed. 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 125 


Early the next year Miss Lucy M. Patterson, M.D., 
was sent out for short term service to tide over the 
vacancy in the Bahrain medical work in Dr. Thoms’ 
absence. A special donation by a friend of the Mis- 
sion made this appointment possible but Dr. Patter- 
son remained only nine months. Also early in 1904 
Miss Fanny Lutton was appointed, and in the fall 
Dr. and Mrs. Arthur King Bennett were commis- 
sioned. ‘The only changes in the location of mission- 
aries in these years were those which were necessi- 
tated by furloughs, Mr. Moerdyk going to Basrah 
for a year and then to Muscat. 


THE WORK 


The steady increase in the force led to larger re- 
sults in work accomplished. ‘The total of Bibles and 
portions distributed passed the four thousand mark, 
except in 1904, when owing to an outbreak of cholera 
m Basrah territory, quarantine regulations prevented 
all touring for months. The work of touring was 
carried on by land and sea, employing mail steamers 
and native craft, and by land, donkeys, pack horses 
and camels. In these ways thousands of miles were 
traversed each year by colporteurs and missionaries. 
The longer tour, in which weeks or a month were 
spent at a place became more common. ‘Thus Mr. 
Moerdyk lived at Sharga and Mr. Van Ess at 
Amarah, while Dr. Thoms made the first distinctive 
medical tour of this kind on the Pirate Coast. Kuwait 
was visited frequently with such encouraging results 
that Mr. Zwemer went there in 1904 with the pur- 
pose of opening it as an out-station. In this he suc- 


126 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


ceeded by renting a shop for Bible work and leaving 
a colporteur in charge of it. Medical work was well 
established at Bahrain and Basrah with complete de- 
partments for men and women, for as soon as Mrs. 
Worrall acquired the language and she engaged in 
practice, her work grew apace. Treatments for 1902 
numbered 23,403; in 1903 they were 26,869; in 1904 
there was a decrease to 20,750 due to interruption 
caused by the doctors’ furloughs. Educational work 
was still slow in developing but “The Acorn School,” 
begun by Mrs. Zwemer on the verandah of her first 
home, found the two rooms on the ground floor of the 
mission house too cramped. At Muscat the Freed 
Slave School had gone out of existence when the 
boys were all placed in positions to earn their liveli- 
hood, but a day school was begun, and at Basrah also 
tentative plans were in hand for such work. At 
each of the stations there were regular preaching 
services in Arabic and English. 


THE “CHURCH IN THE HOUSE” 


As in the first days of the Church, so here again on 
this mission field we find the “church in the house” 
the first home of the church at worship. We have 
seen that in rebuilding the dwelling at Muscat pro- 
vision was made for a room that was set aside for 
chapel uses; in the rented houses at Bahrain and 
Basrah alterations could be made to provide a place 
of meeting. In these services the missionaries gath- 
ered with their helpers and the inquirers and a vary- 
ing number of visitors. As early as 1902 Mrs. 
Zwemer wrote of such services, “We all feel that we 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 127 


would not like to miss the service, although it is so 
plain and so simple, no choir and no grand music, 
but just a plain service where a few isolated be- 
levers meet to worship the God of Abraham and 
where we expect the blessing promised to Abraham 
that ‘Ishmael shall live before me.’” By 1904 the 
insufficiency of the room at Bahrain was made the 
basis of an appeal for a church and _ school building. 
The President of the Board, Dr. Hutton, officially 
visiting the stations at this time as we shall see pres- 
ently, wrote of this need, “Then there is the chapel in 
the mission house. It is only ten by twenty feet. A 
room twenty by forty would be none too large. The 
present one does not pretend to hold the congrega- 
tions which are beginning to assemble. People are 
willing to stand outside looking in at doorways and 
windows for a while; but you cannot expect that to 
keep up. A chapel room double the size of the pres- 
ent one is ‘wanted.’”’ In connection with the medical 
work an excellent opportunity for regular preach- 
ing was furnished at the daily clinics when the pa- 
tients and their friends were gathered, and a simple 
service was held consisting of Scripture reading, a 
short pointed talk and prayer. These activities are 
such as can be measured, and are therefore enumer- 
ated here to show the growth of these years. ‘The 
silent influences, of the Christian homes, of the inter- 
course of the daily life, and then the impact of the 
preaching and distribution of the Scriptures, in short 
the working of the leaven to which the Kingdom of 
Heaven is likened, this cannot be estimated. Of in- 
quirers and converts something will be said before 
concluding this chapter. 


128 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


THE FIRST DEPUTATION 


The year 1904 was marked by the visit of the 
first deputation from the Board of Foreign Mis- 
sions sent out to inspect all the missions of the 
Church. It consisted of the President of the Board, 
Rev. Mancius I. Hutton, D.D., the Corresponding 
Secretary, Rev. Henry N. Cobb, D.D., and Mrs. 
Kben EK. Olcott, representing the Woman’s Board, 
together with her son, Mr. A. V. S. Olcott. The 
party was able to visit Muscat and Bahrain stations 
but Basrah was unfortunately closed to them except 
at the cost of much time on account of quarantine 
regulations. In a region where there were but few 
travellers of any kind passing through and seldom 
any with a sympathetic insight into the purpose of 
the Mission, the visit of these Christian fellow work- 
ers with their message of encouragement from the 
home base, was a distinct uplift for the missionaries. 
The Deputation, for their part, were impressed by 
the difficulties of this field and the courage of their 
representatives in meeting them. ‘Their messages to 
the Church at home prepared the way for the appeals 
of the Mission for more workers and larger resources. 

This same year was also one of many trials in 
which the members of Bahrain station suffered griev- 
ously. Within only a few months death claimed the 
wife and two children of the convert Amin, a 
daughter of Jahan Khan, the converted Afghan dis- 
penser, and two children of Dr. and Mrs. Zwemer, 
Katharine and Ruth. The older daughter had at- 
tained a wonderful knowledge of those things which, 
in the words of Jesus, the Father revealed to babes 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 129 


and sucklings and she delighted to tell others of her 
Saviour in song and recitation. 'They were rightly 
called “two little missionaries.” Cholera epidemics 
in the Muscat and Basrah fields made work difficult. 
At the latter place there died of this disease Said 
Muskof, who had done yeoman service as colporteur 
in Oman. ‘Though not rich in the learning of the 
schools, he had a wonderful knowledge of the Word 
of God, and being gifted with great tact and a singu- 
larly sincere character, he was a very successful col- 
porteur among the tribes of Oman. 

Returning again to the location of the missionaries 
and their work from 1905 to the end of this period, 
and beginning at Bahrain, Dr. and Mrs. Zwemer 
completed a term of six years and returned to Amer- 
ica on furlough. They remained at home until 1910 
on account of Dr. Zwemer’s appointments with the 
Student Volunteer Movement and as Field Secre- 
tary to the Board of Foreign Missions. Mr. Moer- 
his name will be connected with this station for a 
number of years. In addition to the station work 
with its local and distant touring, a large part of the 
building program described formerly fell to his lot. 
Mrs. Zwemer’s work among the women in all its 
phases now fell to Miss Lutton who continued at this 
station for a term of years. The medical work soon 
got into its full strides after the return of Dr. and 
Mrs. Thoms from America. 


MRS. MARION WELLS THOMS 


But in the death of Mrs. Marion Wells Thoms on 
April 25, 1905, from typhoid fever, the station and 


130 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


the Mission suffered a severe loss. “But it is not only 
in the quiet of the mission house that we shall miss 
her. She was not merely a missionary’s wife, but her- 
self a heroic and strong and self-denying missionary. 
Her triumphant deathbed showed that her thoughts 
even then were not only for her own, but for dark 
Arabia. Among her last words was the message: 
‘Have them send more missionaries for the work and 
to take the place of those that fall by the way.’ 
Everyone who knew Mrs. Thoms will remember her 
thorough conscientiousness and her heroic devotion. 
She was always ready at the call of duty and often, 
alas! worked above her strength for her Arabian 
sisters. ‘They knew it and loved her. Her skill and 
patience as a physician, her faithfulness in language 
study, her self-effacement and humility, her power in 
prayer for others, and her cheerfulness—they all 
come up before us as we read of her death.” ‘Thus 
in part was the tribute of Dr. and Mrs. Zwemer. 
The women’s side of the Hospital was continued in 
operation by Dr. Thoms, though the actual contact 
with the women was through nurses who did most of 
the work, viz., Miss Lutton and Mrs. Martha G. 
Vogel. The latter was sent out in 1905, and after 
doing her language study at this station, she con- 
tinued in medical work until 1909, when she was 
transferred to Basrah. After his appointment, Dr. 
Bennett spent some months in Kurope, following 
courses in Tropical Medicine and in securing the 
Turkish diploma to enable him to practice in Basrah 
and then joined Mrs. Bennett at Bahrain, whither 
she had come at once on their being appointed to the 
Mission and where she was carrying on her first 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 1381 


year’s language work. ‘This first year seemed to all 
as the firstfruits of many years of missionary useful- 
ness, but God judged otherwise and, after a few 
weeks of illness from typhoid fever, she died on 
January 21, 1906. 


MRS. JESSIE VAIL BENNETT 


Mrs. Jessie Vail Bennett was a graduate of the 
University of Michigan and had experience as a 
teacher in the schools of that state. Her training 
and her natural ability, which was of a high order, 
she consecrated to God’s service, and having once 
determined this course she gave herself to it com- 
pletely. She had made great progress in the lan- 
guage and was looking forward to her second year 
with the expectation of sharing in the work. ‘“‘Her’s 
was a very busy life. Her beautiful and lovable 
character endeared her to everybody, and all profited 
by her help because of her Christian spirit and her 
wisdom in and for the work. All the missionaries 
deeply feel the loss of this consecrated worker. As 
regards the future, we can but echo her last request 
that someone should be sent in her place.” 

During this year of 1906 there were appointed 
Mrs. May De Pree Thoms after her marriage with 
Dr. S. J. Thoms, and in the fall of the year Dr. and 
Mrs. C. Stanley G. Mylrea and Mr. Dirk Dykstra, 
who was appointed as an educational man. 


BASRAH, 1905 


Conditions in Basrah became more favorable for 
the work when the missionaries were able to rent bet- 


132 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


ter and more suitable houses. Dr. and Mrs. Worrall 
had two adjacent houses on Club Road for their 
living quarters and their work, which from now 
on included co-ordinate departments for men and 
women. ‘I'he record of 17,000 treatments for the 
year reflects these favorable conditions. Mr. and 
Mrs. Barny had the Mendil House on Ashar Road, 
and with them were Mr. Van Ess and some of the 
language students. It was in this house that a room 
was made available for a chapel to hold sixty. Mr. 
Barny had the station work. A school was begun by 
him which by 1906 had an enrollment of 35 and 
which seemed to promise growth, but as it was not 
possible to secure the required permit from the 'Turk- 
ish government (it was still the time of the reaction- 
ary rule of Abdul Hamid) it had to be closed. By 
the assignment of Mr. Van Ess to the out-station 
work of this field an advance long looked for was 
realized, in that these places were not merely visited 
on tour but the missionary stayed there for several 
months at a time. A notable tour in the marsh lands 
of the Maadan tribes, where a white man had hither- 
to never penetrated, revealed deplorable conditions. 
Mrs. Worrall also began a school in connection with 
her clinics by gathering the children of patients. It 
was kept up for about a year but had to be aban- 
doned for lack of a teacher. Several Sunday schools 
in separate localities conducted by her were more 
successful and continued for several years. 

In the fall of 1904 Dr. Cantine married Miss E. 
G. De Pree, who had come out to the field two years 
earlier as a single worker, and they were assigned to 
the work of the Muscat station. After the interrup- 


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STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 1338 


tions due to building operations and the incidence of 
furloughs, a fresh start was made. Mrs. Cantine in- 
augurated women’s work, which included a daily 
clinic, house visitation and a sewing school for girls. 
The first tour to reach the women of the Inland was 
also undertaken by Mrs. Cantine. A day school for 
boys was organized and showed slow but steady 
growth. For a number of years the nephews of the 
Sultan attended this school. The work of touring, 
which had been pressed through all the years, had two 
developments. When out on tour, both missionaries 
and colporteurs were the guests of the sheikhs or 
head-men of villages. These chiefs would come more 
or less regularly to Muscat to pay their respects to 
the Sultan. To invite such people to the mission 
house and offer them hospitality of their own kind 
was greatly appreciated and was the means of 
cementing old friendships and of forming new ones. 
It was found convenient to have a small rented house 
for this guest house work where also visitors could 
stay the allotted time of a guest. ‘The other develop- 
ment of touring was the opening of Nakhl as an out- 
station, where a small property was bought and put 
in repair. Nakhl is in the mountains with a good 
climate and its people were mostly neutral in the 
feuds of the country. It answered for a retreat dur- 
ing summer and as a centre for touring farther 
afield. 

In 1907 Dr. Bennett went to Basrah and on com- 
pleting his language he was given a touring commis- 
sion. He extended the field of medical service 
among the tribes to the north and east of Basrah 
and when Dr. and Mrs. Worrall left on furlough in 


134 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


the following year, he was placed in charge of the 
medical work of the station. Mrs. Vogel was trans- 
ferred from Bahrain to assist in the women’s de- 
partment and as nurse in operative work in addition 
to Miss Scardefield, who had been working with Mrs. 
Worrall. Mr. Moerdyk went on furlough in 1907 
and Mr. Barny took charge of the evangelistic work 
of Bahrain, but when Dr..and Mrs. Cantine returned 
to America at the end of that year he with his family 
was transferred to Muscat. Bahrain continued under 
his care but Mr. Dykstra, who was then in his second 
year of language preparation, supervised the details 
of the work in his absence. Dr. and Mrs. Mylrea 
completed their language study at this station, and 
then in 1909 he was placed in charge of ‘Mason 
Memorial Hospital with Mrs. Mylrea to assist on the 
women’s side, and when Miss Lutton went home on 
furlough, she also had charge of the women’s evan- 
gelistic work. At this time the long looked for ad- 
vance was made of opening medical work in the 
Oman field, by transferring Dr.and Mrs. Thoms, who 
settled at the town of Matrah. Muscat is the port 
of Oman as also its capital, but Matrah, immediately 
to the west, is the gateway inland and by locating 
there the doctor could serve the people of both towns 
and also make his influence felt in the hinterland, 
since large caravans were constantly arriving and 
departing from there. There was some political op- 
position at first to this undertaking, which, however, 
was gradually withdrawn; there was never any doubt 
as to its popularity with the people. For this first 
year when, however, only eight months of work were 
reported, the number of treatments was about 10,000. 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 1835 


Thus at the end of the decade the three stations of 
the Mission are all organized on an equal basis, be- 
sides that preparations for the opening of a fourth 
station at Kuwait are so far advanced that the actual 
occupation tock place early next year. The force 
of missionaries was also being added to. In 1907 
came Miss Minnie Wilterdink, the next year Rev. 
Gerrit J. Pennings, and Miss Thyra H. Josselyn, 
M.D., and in 1909 Rev. and Mrs. (M.D.) E. E. 
Calverley, Dr. Paul W. Harrison, Miss Dorothy 
Firman, and Miss A. Christine Iverson, M.D., bring- 
ing the number of workers up to twenty-seven. ‘The 
force of native helpers, men and women, numbered 
twenty-five at the same time. 


TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY 


The Twentieth Anniversary Number of Neglected 
Arabia has the following summary of results from 
the pen of Dr. Cantine: “Turning now to the results 
shown in our own field, we would first mention those 
who have openly confessed Christ. We see men here 
and there enduring reproach, suffering shame, loss of 
property and liberty, groping after the higher ideals 
of Christianity, slipping backward at times, but re- 
alizing more and more the power of Christ to forgive 
and to save. Women have been transformed by the 
same influences, the Christian family life instituted 
and a second generation is coming under Christian 
training. We, following the custom in Moham- 
medan lands, have never published the names nor the 
number of our converts, but in all of our stations we 
have never failed to see the promises fulfilled, nor has 
the blessing been withheld.” 


136 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


This summary statement is borne out by the 
reports of the work from year to year. ‘There is 
no year when some inquirers are not reported. The 
term inquirer has a quite definite connotation in 
the usage of the Mission, meaning one who has 
shown enough interest in Christianity to come under 
the definite instruction of a missionary. Groups 
as well as individuals are mentioned as studying the 
Bible and comparing it with the Koran, but they 
are not classed as inquirers inasmuch as they did 
not come in touch with the workers. Some years 
all the stations could report a number of inquirers 
and again there were but few. Such as were too 
evidently looking for a new way of making an 
easy living were soon sifted out. Persecution helped 
in this process of sifting, for no real inquirer 
ever escaped this testing in the shape of insult, boy- 
cott, abuse and personal injury. Those who won 
through and stood the test were baptized. Why they 
were but few in number, is further shown in refer- 
ences scattered through the reports such as these: a 
remarkable Moslem convert from Kerbela was with 
us (at Bahrain) for twelve days and was soon to be 
baptized, but he wished to get his family. It was 
known that his life was in danger and he was never 
heard from again. At Muscat a soldier of the Sul- 
tan became an inquirer and made promising progress, 
but he died suddenly. At Amarah a Jew was ready 
to confess Jesus as the Christ, but he disappeared 
and was not heard from again. Yet withal, there 
was gathered a small group of baptized converts, in- 
cluding several families, and if conditions had been 
but slightly more favorable they might have been 


*; 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 1387 


organized into a church. Jividences of the more gen- 
eral influence of the work, which is naturally thought 
of in the terms of the Master’s parable of the leaven, 
were not lacking. Prejudice against the Gospel was 
softened by letting the hght of a purer Christianity 
shine. An assured place of respect and influence was 
won by the missionaries and the one-time kafir (un- 
believer) was recognized as a friend. Here also must 
be mentioned the fact referred to above, of individ- 
uals and groups in all parts of the field, who were 
studying the Scriptures. Whether in inland Oman — 
or in a village of Bahrain Islands or in Mesopotamia 
such things became known to the missionaries. In 
Oman one such became known as el-injili or the Gos- 
peller. 
THE HOME BASE 


Turning now to the Home Base, it is evident that 
the expansion of the field would have been impossible 
unless the workers and the means had been supplied. 
On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the 
Mission, Dr. J. Preston Searle, the longtime Trustee 
and friend wrote: “The writer must confess that the 
history of the Arabian Mission has been to him a 
constant cause of wonder and a continuous rebuke 
to unfaith. He was not in remotest touch with its 
origin. He went into the Committee of Advice, a 
doubting Thomas, to help a friend through, or per- 
haps out of a dubious endeavor. Beyond a little 
bookkeeping and letter writing, he has with almost 
folded hands and astonished eyes, been watching a 
new and glorious ‘romance of missions,’ to use a 
phrase by which we sometimes describe God’s sure 


138 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


fulfillment of His promises, working itself out easily, 
resistlessly.””. What made this staunch friend of the 
Mission and many others to wonder is revealed in the 
financial returns of this period. ‘The total receipts 
for the year 1900 were $10,637.50, whereas for the 
year 1909 they were $35,186.46; for the decade they 
amounted to $218,155.17 as against $68,811.41 for 
the first decade. From 1905 to 1906 there was a 
hundred per cent. increase and the lead thus gained 
was kept up for the rest of the decade. 

This period of large increase corresponds with the 
development of the Forward Movement of the 
Church at home, which had its inception with the 
“Centennial Synod” of 1906. In his secretarial let- 
ter to the Mission of May 11, 1906, Dr. Cobb wrote, 
“We are hoping to make a strong demonstration up- 
on General Synod which meets in this City on the 
6th of June. . . . There is a strong desire for a 
real forward movement in mission matters in various 
quarters of the Church.” The Laymen’s Missionary 
Movement was also getting under way at this time, 
and its heyday of popularity and influence corres- 
ponds with the closing year of the decade, and the 
Arabian Mission shared in the growth of the cause 
of missions in general. However, much of the actual 
results secured were due to the unremitting labors of 
Dr. Zwemer, first in the line of ordinary service as a 
missionary on furlough and later as a Field Secre- 
tary to the Board of Foreign Missions, while he was 
also serving the Student Volunteer Movement as one 
of its secretaries. 

The syndicate system of financing the work, which 
was developed in the beginning of the Mission so 


STRENGTHENING THE STAKES 139 


successfully, still continued through this period, but 
a change began which ultimately made the use of the 
term inapplicable in the returns as reported by the 
Board of Trustees, although the reality continued 
and abides to this day. ‘This is the fact that churches 
more and more took up the support of missionaries. 
What Sioux County, Iowa, the Marble Collegiate 
Church of New York, and the First Church of Rose- 
land began, became so general a practice that before 
the end of the decade the salaries of all missionaries 
were guaranteed by churches or by individuals, while 
many churches took definite pledges for the support 
of work. What the reflex influence on these fellow- 
laborers was, is known only to the Lord of the Har- 
vest but it is matter of testimony both public and 
given in private to members of the Mission that faith 
was strengthened and the life of churches quickened 
by the example of the Mission and by fellowship in 
its labors through prayer and giving. 


Cuarpter VIII. 
LENGTHENING THE CORDS 
1910-1914 


The year 1914 divides*the history of the Mission 
as indeed it has divided modern life itself. The half 
decade from 1910 to 1914 was a period of growth 
following naturally the impetus gained in the last 
decade, while fresh accessions of strength could be 
used for expansion and not merely to strengthen 
lines too thinly held before. However, the process of 
“lengthening the cords” did not continue for the 
entire five years. Kven before the heavy gloom of 
the war clouds settled, there were events of an 
ominous character, especially in the southern part of 
the field, which meant the closing of much promising 
territory to the Mission. Had it not been for the 
cumulative effects of the Great War it is not likely 
that these events would have retained the signifi- 
cance that they did. As a matter of fact, while the 
closing of territory was felt a distinct loss, there was 
no general slowing up of effort. The tone of the 
period was one of progress based on the conscious- 
ness of strength through divine and human resources. 


THE DEBAI AFFAIR 


Before taking up the record of these years some 
of the political happenings referred to are to be 
noted because they affected the work of the Mission 


140 


LENGTHENING THE CORDS 141 


not only during the time under consideration but for 
many years after. The unfortunate “Debai Affair” 
of December 24, 1910, seemed at the time to be mere- 
ly an incident in the attempt of the British Navy to 
suppress the gun running between the coasts of 
Oman and Persia, but it had consequences that have 
not yet ceased. News was received that a consign- 
ment of arms had been landed at Debai and a man- 
of-war was sent to get them. One of the searching 
parties was fired on and they returned the fire so that 
casualties resulted on both sides. ‘The landing party 
might have been wiped out had not the man-of-war 
dropped several shells on the landward side of the 
town. As a punishment on the town, a heavy fine 
was imposed but though this judgment was later re- 
versed, when the affair was finally settled, the Sheikh 
of Debai closed the port to all foreigners, and in time 
the whole Pirate Coast did likewise. At first our 
colporteurs were allowed to tour, but by 1913 even 
they were excluded and Bahrain station lost this part 
of its touring territory. 


CLOSING OF OMAW 


The gun running referred to was a source of much 
annoyance and expense to the government of India, 
since the tribesmen on the Northwest Frontier of 
India secured arms and ammunition to carry on 
border raids. The Navy succeeded in keeping the 
traffic down but it was not until an Arms Conven- 
tion between the Sultan of Muscat and Great 
Britain and France was signed that it was brought 
under control. Already in 1912 there were threats 


142 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


of uprisings in Oman, and when the terms of the 
Convention were carried out early the next year the 
Inland sheikhs revolted. ‘The once powerful Sultan- 
ate of Oman and Zanzibar, with which the United 
States government treated as an equal in the days 
when the Yankee “clipper ships” sailed these seas, 
fell on evil days. When the rebel sheikhs threatened 
Muscat the British carried out their part of the con- 
vention and defended the approaches to Muscat and 
Matrah. The lines of defense marked the extent of 
the authority of the Sultan, except some of the towns 
along the coasts east and west of Muscat. In the 
midst of these reverses Sultan Feysul died and his 
son 'Taimur succeeded, but we need not follow the 
politics of the province any further. ‘The result, as 
far as mission work is concerned, was to close the 
land to touring and to deprive the Mission of its 
property at Nakhl. In after years a reconciliation 
between the contending parties was brought about 
but the roads inland remain closed to foreigners, and 
except for visits to coast towns, it has not been pos- 
sible again to develop the touring that had been such 
an encouraging feature in this field. 


THE SULTAN OF NEJD 


The actual theatres of conflict of Turkey’s Tri- 
politan and Balkan wars were far removed from East 
Arabia but still certain definite effects were felt. 
. Moslem prejudices were roused when the leading 
Moslem state suffered reverses at the hand of Chris- 
tian armies. ‘There were no actual demonstrations 
but anti-Christian feeling was marked in both Bah- 


LENGTHENING THE CORDS 143 


rain and Basrah fields. The colporteurs found it 
hard to carry on their work, while in the River coun- 
try north of Basrah touring was impossible, owing 
to tribal revolts. There was one political consequence 
connected with the wars of ‘Turkey which did not 
get headlines in the press at the time, though its in- 
fluence on the course of Arabian events has been 
marked. In 19138 the Turkish provinces of Hassa 
and Katar in East Arabia were taken by Abd ul 
Aziz bin Saud, ruler of Nejd, the descendant of the 
great Wahhabi princes whose conquests early in the 
nineteenth century extended from Mecca to Kerbela, 
and who caused the Turkish Sultans to tremble for 
their Arabian possessions. ‘The family fortunes 
underwent great vicissitudes and were perhaps never 
lower than when the present ruler lived in retirement 
at Kuwait, practically a refugee. His ancestors rose 
to power by espousing the cause of Wahhabism and 
he has identified himself with the Ikhwan movement, 
which in reforming the former, has exhibited a sub- 
limated form of ferocious fanaticism. Like his an- 
eestor and indeed the Arabian prophet before him, 
he has hitched the chariot of his military and political 
ambitions to the steed of religious fervor and finds 
the combination very successful. The capture of 
Hassa and Katar was no great military exploit but 
it was the beginning of a series of conquests that 
have made him the most powerful ruler in Arabia. 
This conquest made him and Bahrain neighbors and 
it was hoped the Mission doctor might be invited in- 
land as he was known to be friendly, but these hopes 
were not realized until some years later. 


144 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


KUWAIT SETTLED 


The marked growth of the Mission in its personnel 
and financial resources at the end of the last decade, 
as noted, had its counterpart in the growing activities . 
on the field. The opening of medical work at Mat- 
rah has been noted, making the fourth station of the 
Mission. Kuwait, the fifth permanent station to be 
opened, had been visited in the early years by col- 
porteurs under Mr. Barny and Dr. Zwemer, and 
was an out-station connected first with Basrah and 
then Bahrain. In 1903 Dr. Zwemer went there with 
Colporteur Salomi and his family, settled them and 
rented a Bible shop. At the same time the Bronx- 
ville, N. Y. Church, under the guidance of Mr. 
Francis Bacon, got the vision of the world as the 
field and pledged the sum of $300 a year for this 
work, to be carried on under native auspices. But 
after about six months the Sheikh of Kuwait uncere- 
moniously closed the shop and sent the colporteur 
away in an open boat. Attempts to regain an en- 
trance were made repeatedly without success, and a 
gift of $1,200 from a member of the Bronxville 
Church for the purchase of land remained unused for 
years. Here was need to exercise “the patience of 
unanswered prayer” though at times this patience 
wore thin. Thus in 1907 attempts were made to 
divert these funds from Kuwait to Debai, although 
other counsels prevailed, fortunately. For in 1909 
Dr. Bennett met Sheikh Mubarek at the castle of the 
Sheikh of Mohammera and secured a promise from 
him that he would receive representatives of the Mis- 
sion. At the Annual Meeting of 1910 he and Mr. 


LENGTHENING THE CORDS 145 


Van Ess were commissioned to make the attempt to 
open work there. ‘They went at once and the Sheikh, 
true to his word, assigned them a rented house which 
was taken on lease for five years. During this year 
Kuwait remained an out-station of Basrah and Dr. 
Bennett, supported by evangelistic workers, made 
an extended visit. At the next meeting the Mission 
commissioned him to try to secure its position perma- 
nently by the purchase of land. He had operated 
successfully on the daughter of the Sheikh and won 
his gratitude, but it required two weeks of strenuous 
effort to gain the object. ‘The site obtained is on an 
eminence overlooking the sea at one end of the town, 
and was about two acres in extent; in 1914 the 
Sheikh added about half as much again, making at 
the time a dramatic speech in public praising the 
work of the Mission. Kuwait was made a station 
and Mr. Pennings assigned there for a part of the 
year, and then in 1912 Dr. Harrison and Rev. and 
Mrs. Calverley were stationed there. Not to recog- 
nize God’s hand in the opening of this station would 
be willful blindness. The years of waiting seemed 
hard but when it was time “the powers that be” were 
willing, the funds for the purchase of land and to 
initiate the work were on hand and missionaries were 
available without weakening other stations, which 
would not have been the case earlier. 

At the same time Kuwait became a station Amarah 
on the Tigris was raised to that status, making the 
sixth station, and Mr. Moerdyk was placed in charge. 
This step had also long been anticipated, in fact, the 
Basrah missionaries had once and again made visits 
of several months’ duration in addition to the shorter 


— 146 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


visits for the purpose of oversight. ‘The Bible shop 
was opened in 1895 and colporteurs were kept there 
from that time with encouraging results. Its impor- 
tance as a centre from which to reach the many settle- 
ments along the rivers was felt and ways and means 
discussed of occupying it, but men and means were 
never to hand. Mr. Moerdyk remained for the year 
and then went to the Oman field and the station 
came under the care of Dr. Cantine at Basrah, until 
Mr. Pennings took charge. He remained there, 
giving much attention to touring in the district, until 
his furlough in 1914. After that no permanent pro- 
vision could be made and it again became an out- 
station of Basrah until better times should come. 


THE FORCE 


The period under review began with a list of 
twenty-seven missionaries; there were ten new mem- 
bers sent out and seven were lost through with- 
drawals and death in its course, leaving a total of 
thirty workers at its close. Rev. Gerrit D. Van 
Peursem and Miss Josephine Spaeth came out in 
1910 in the party consisting of themselves, Mr. and 
Mrs. Barny, and Dr. and Mrs. Zwemer, who were 
rejoining their former station of Bahrain. At the 
next Annual Meeting the Mission had the rare ex- 
perience of having all its members on the field at 
once and of being able to assign all but a very few 
language students to work. It was due to this cir- 
cumstance that work could be extended to Kuwait 
and Amarah. In 1911 was received the largest acces- 
sion in any single year, consisting of the five mem- 
bers of the University of Michigan Scheme for 


LENGTHENING THE CORDS 147 


Basrah and of Miss Sarah L. Hosmon, M.D. In 
1912 Miss Gertrud Schafheitlin was commissioned 
and sent out and the year following Miss Minnie C. 
Holzhauser joined the University of Michigan con- 
tingent as a short term nurse for Lansing Memorial 
Hospital. The year 1914 showed no gain. The first 
of the losses was Miss Thyra H. Josselyn, M.D., 
who returned to America in 1910 for health reasons 
after a year’s residence. On January 16, 1913, 
occurred the death of Dr. Sharon J. Thoms, at 
Matrah, after which Mrs. Thoms returned to Amer- 
ica with the children. Mrs. Martha G. Vogel re- 
signed in 1914 while at home on furlough but re- 
turned later as an independent missionary and settled 
at Zobair near Basrah. The same year Mr. and 
Mrs. Shaw and Mr. Haynes had to relinquish their 
industrial undertaking in connection with the Uni- 
versity of Michigan Scheme and withdrew from the 
field. 
LANSING MEMORIAL HOSPITAL 


Turning now to the stations and beginning with 
Basrah, the fruition of much prayer and the consum- 
mation of plans that had involved much labor came 
to pass with the laying of the cornerstone of Lansing 
Memorial Hospital on March 8, 1910. The gift of 
$6,000 for the building by Miss Susan Y. Lansing 
has already been noted. The change in Turkey 
from the reactionary autocracy to the more liberal 
government of the Young Turks made it possible to 
secure the permit to build, though it required a 
special trip of Dr. Bennett to Constantinople, when 
by the aid of the American Board missionaries and 


148 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


of Minister Morganthau the Trade, or imperial sanc- 
tion was secured. The ceremony of laying the cor- 
nerstone was a public one in which the Wali, the 
military and naval commanders and the notables of 
Basrah participated. The building was completed 
and dedicated in 1911 and Dr. and Mrs. Worrall, who 
had developed the work from small beginnings and 
brought it to prosperity under adverse conditions in 
unsuitable rented houses, had the satisfaction of in- 
itiating the work in the new building. 


UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHEME 


Reference has already been made to the University 
of Michigan Scheme for Medical and Industrial 
Work at Basrah. Proposals first made by Dr. 
Zwemer in connection with his work for the Student 
Volunteer Movement led to the development of plans 
whereby this University should carry on medical 
work along lines similar to the undertakings of other 
large universities in the mission field. The plan at 
first was to assume the support of Dr. Bennett’s 
work in Lansing Memorial Hospital, but finally de- 
veloped into the Scheme as named above. The 
Students’ Christian Association of the University be- 
came responsible for the support of its representa- 
tives and appointed Hall G. Van Vlack, M.D., for 
medical work, and Mr. Shaw and Mr. Haynes for 
industrial and educational work. ‘These men with 
Mrs. Van Vlack and Mrs. Shaw were appointed also 
in regular course by the Trustees of the Mission. 
Messrs. Shaw and Haynes came out on a self-sup- 
porting basis and expected to build up a business 
that would enable them to carry on an industrial 


LENGTHENING THE CORDS 149 


training department in connection with the Mission’s 
school. Medically it was hoped that the University 
Scheme would take over the whole field including 
Lansing Hospital and further erecting plant as 
needs required. ‘The undertaking was well conceived 
and gave promise of growth. However, in the spring 
of 1914, the industrial phase of the Scheme came to 
an end when the firm of Shaw and Haynes found it 
necessary to withdraw from Basrah. Writing at the 
time, Mr. Shaw gave it as his opinion that their 
undertaking was begun five years too soon. . He 
named among the causes that operated against such 
an undertaking as theirs the disturbed political con- 
ditions, the undeveloped state of the country and 
general ignorance in commercial circles regarding 
this land. Mr. Shaw spoke with true insight in re- 
gard to the time, for if the firm could have been 
aided to the extent of a few thousand dollars and 
continued till war-time conditions provided ample 
work, it is more than likely that this venture in ap- 
plied Christianity would have succeeded. ‘The med- 
ical part of the Scheme was not affected by their 
withdrawal. Miss Holzhauser came out in 1913 as 
nurse for the Hospital, and Dr. Van Vlack filled out 
a full term of service, although the Students’ Chris- 
tian Association found difficulty in meeting their 
financial responsibilities before his return in 1917 to 
America. 


SCHOOL OF HIGH HOPE, BASRAH 
In 1912 was opened the School of High Hope for 


Boys and the year following the School of Women’s 
Hope at this station. This event also was the fruition 


150 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


of years of planning and patient effort. Already in 
the earliest years pupils were received by the mission- 
aries and mention was made of the need of education. 
In 1905 Mr. Barny started a school in his dwelling, 
which had an enrollment of over thirty in the follow- 
ing year. Since this school was closed by the Turk- 
ish authorities, a determined effort was made by him 
to secure an official permit. The papers for this were 
completed locally after much labor and years after- 
wards, when the British Occupation revealed the 
secrets of the Serat (government offices) , it was found 
that they had never been forwarded to Constanti- 
nople! After the change of government in 1908, 
when a more liberal policy towards missions was put 
in effect, the local authorities allowed Mr. Moerdyk 
to carry on a school, which continued for several years 
with an enrollment of about thirty. Another attempt 
to secure the permit, made by Mr. Van Ess, was suc- 
cessful and in 1910 the Sultan’s Irade was secured 
upon a special trip to Constantinople by him. This 
included the right of the Mission to conduct schools 
for boys and girls. After securing the Irade much 
work remained yet to be done in the way of securing 
the approval of the local Director of Education for 
the premises to be occupied, the courses of study, 
text-books to be used and teachers employed, and 
this was done by Mr. Moerdyk. A serio-comical in- 
cident is related by him of how he had to spend two 
full days in persuading this director that no author 
of the Bible could be named except God Himself. 
Upon their return from furlough in 1911, Mr. and 
Mrs. Van Ess were given charge of education in 
Basrah, and the schools were begun as mentioned 


LENGTHENING THE CORDS 151 


above. A notable feature from the beginning was 
the fact that scholars were drawn from all ranks, 
from the poorest to the wealthiest and that over fifty 
per cent. were Moslems. In connection with the 
Boys’ School a boarding department was established 
and here also social extremes met, e.g., eight sons of 
the Sheikh of Mohammera were received as boarders. 
The enrollment at first was eighty boys and twenty- 
nine girls, which in 1914 rose to 146 and 94 respec- 
tively. The courses of study for both boys and girls 
were planned to correspond in general to the system 
of primary, grammar and high schools in America. 
The “group system” of instruction was employed 
from the first and successfully developed, in which 
each subject is divided into sections through each of 
which a scholar passes according to his individual 
progress. ‘lhe system has worked well in that it 
meets the local condition of great variation in the 
attainments and natural abilities of the scholars. The 
Bible is one of the regular studies, running through 
the whole course in graded sections. The question 
of the right to teach Scripture came to a sharp issue 
with the Turkish authorities when the Girls’ School 
was opened and was then settled once for all, as per- 
mission to do so had been written into the Irade. 


BASRAH CHAPEL 


In 1913 was erected the Chapel on the grounds of 
the Mission, marking an advance in evangelistic 
work as the erection of Lansing Memorial Hospital 
did for medical work. The “church in the house” 
on the mission field, as in New Testament times, was 
a passing phase of church life and the time came 


152 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


when the natural desire to give expression to the 
public worship of God in a permanent building set 
aside for the purpose, asserted itself. This desire 
and the need of being independent of the changing 
circumstances of rented houses became more and 
more urgent until Dr. Cantine was led to raise the 
funds for the undertaking by local subscriptions. A 
gift of two sovereigns given “for the work” by a 
passing’ guest was set aside for a fund. With this 
sum as a “starter” a subscription list was first sent 
around among the missionaries. ‘Then the resident 
British community was approached and they re- 
sponded generously. Mr. Crow, the British Consul, 
and his wife interested themselves in the project and 
secured substantial contributions from friends at 
home, and ultimately the sum of $2,000 was realized, 
and the building erected. Though not unattractive 
in its setting of date palms, it is a plain structure of 
no architectural pretensions with a main hall capable 
of seating one hundred and a smaller room of one- 
fourth that capacity. The native congregation was 
not asked to contribute, since their problem of a 
church home required a different solution, though, as 
a matter of fact, they have had as much use of the 
Chapel as the English congregation. Since the funds 
came from many sources, it has been made available 
for any regular religious service. It was used, e.g., 
by the Church of England chaplains who were sent 
to visit the Gulf ports semi-annually by the Bishop 
of Lahore. Plain and unpretentious as it is, the 
Basrah Chapel has been a very Bethel to many who 
have sought and found there communion with the 
Father of spirits. 





THE MISSION HOUSE, BASRAH 





DR. MYLREA AND PATIENT IN KUWAIT HOSPITAL 





LENGTHENING THE CORDS 153 


KUWAIT PROPERTY 


The fact that the position of the Mission in Ku- 
wait was an assured one through the purchase of a 
piece of land with official sanction, did not mean 
that this station had not to go through a process of 
rooting and growth in both material and _ spiritual 
things. In regard to property, Kuwait architecture 
is primitive, and good houses were rare and people 
refused to rent to the Christian kafirs. 'The house 
secured by lease from the Sheikh was a poor affair 
at the best although it had to do for a dwelling and 
then to house the medical work. Under the circum- 
stances and since the promise to establish a regular 
medical work had been publicly made, the appeai for 
funds for a hospital was made at an early date. Mr. 
Frank R. Chambers, of Bronxville, N. Y., who had 
given the funds for the purchase of land, responded 
to this appeal and gave the sum of $6,000 for the 
hospital, on conditon that the Board should provide 
a similar amount for the doctor’s residence. Later, 
when the hospital had to be furnished, he again 
showed his interest in this project by largely provid- 
ing for the equipment. The building was erected in 
1913 of steel and concrete by Messrs. Shaw and 
Haynes of the University of Michigan Scheme. The 
method of construction excited great interest locally, 
the most common remark being that this building 
would not melt in the rain as their mud houses do. 
Indeed, the work of these engineers has stood the 
test of time well, no part has “melted” nor crumbled 
in the way local materials always do. The Board 
was not able to vote the amount needed for the doc- 


154 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


tor’s house at once but when it was completed, again 
with the help of the Bronxville Church, permission to 
build was flashed by cable to the Mission and the 
house erected in 1914. Reference has already been 
made to the gift of about an acre of land by Sheikh 
Mubarek. ‘The evangelistic missionary was still not 
provided for but on Rev. and Mrs. Calverley’s re- 
turn to America on furlough, the Board readily 
consented to their making a special appeal to the 
Church for the funds for a second dwelling. In 
order to complete this record of property we have to 
anticipate what actually belongs to the next decade. 
At the meeting of General Synod of 1915 the rule 
of not permitting special appeals to come before that 
body was relaxed and Mrs. Calverley was permitted 
to present her case. ‘The response was so cordial 
then and there that the project was practically as- 
sured. The building was completed in 1916. 

The work of the station was begun and developed 
along the same lines employed at the other stations. 
The temporary nature of the first appointments 
could not produce any marked results. As a purely 
Moslem town, Kuwait showed itself hostile to the 
coming of missionaries, and their activities could de- 
velop but slowly. When Dr. Harrison and Mr. 
Calverley began to push their work, opposition 
crystallized in the formation in 1913 of the Moslem 
Benevolent Society of Kuwait. Sermons were 
preached in all the mosques, warning all the people 
to keep away from the Christians, ample funds were 
collected and a school and a public dispensary 
opened. For a while the work of the Mission suf- 
fered, but in time the opposition was worn down. 


LENGTHENING THE CORDS 155 


The Moslem dispensary lasted three months and ul- 
timately some of the instruments, including a very 
good microscope, were handed over to Dr. Mylrea. 
The Bible shop, though boycotted, was opened faith- 
fully each day until in time visitors got into the way 
of coming again and, in 1914, there were two colpor- 
teurs employed who regularly canvassed the town 
and the Bedawin settlements outside of town. The 
Moslem school, founded by the Society, continued 
and flourished. But Mr. Calverley made a fresh 
start in gathering regular scholars and found en- 
couragement in growing numbers. Women’s work 
was started by Mrs. Calverley in her dispensary, 
where beginnings had to be made, as at the other sta- 
tions, in allaying prejudices, overcoming ignorance 
and winning the confidence of patients. When the 
foundations were once laid the work grew apace. 
When Mrs. Mylrea came to the station the prospects 
of evangelistic work did not seem alluring to her, but 
ere long she revised her judgment when she found 
her days all too short for the visits to be made and 
received with their opportunities of Christian service. 
Thus this newest of the stations went through in a 
comparatively few years the course of development 
that required long years at the others. 


MATRAH WORK 


The very encouraging medical work inaugurated 
by Dr. Thoms at Matrah was interrupted somewhat 
by his furlough to America in 1910 and 1911. The 
Mission made temporary provision by appointing 
Dr. Harrison, still a language student, to fill the 


156 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


place. He made at this time the record tour in this 
field as regards length of time, and demonstrated 
the possibilities of this kind of work in this needy 
field. A great deal of medical work was done, and 
with the colporteur 1,200 portions of Scripture were 
sold. During his furlough, Dr. Thoms succeeded in 
interesting the Church in the Oman field, and in par- 
ticular he was instrumental in securing from Dr. and 
Mrs. W. Bancroft Hill, of Poughkeepsie, the gift 
of $6,000 for a hospital for Matrah, to which the pur- 
chase price for a site was added later. Upon his re- 
turn from furlough, -the same large medical work 
continued and indeed grew, and patients came from 
distant places inland and from the Mikran coast of 
Beluchistan across the Gulf of Oman. Not only was 
this field so encouraging in the line of medical work 
but evangelistically it seemed to be opening for wider © 
effort. Following the report of this work in 1911, 
the Mission appointed Mr. Moerdyk to the Oman 
field for touring while Mr. Barny remained in charge 
of the station work in Muscat. This step registered 
an advance for this field that had been long desired 
and the next year was a prosperous one. Mr. Moer- 
dyk covered nearly two thousand miles of road and 
reached territory that had never been visited before 
by a missionary or colporteur, where he found the 
same friendly reception which made touring in this 
field so attractive. At the station, Guest House 
work, which complemented touring by offering hos- 
pitality to the inland sheikhs and their followers 
upon their visits to Muscat and which offered many 
evangelistic opportunities, was a particularly active 
agency. However, the clouds were gathering and 





HE Vee tea bA LN YeraIN DEAT GROUPRSOK GUESTS AT MUSCAL 





DR LeHOMS TREA TI 





‘Ker devawWlri@e dite, ih Wibael ite Yak 





LENGTHENING THE CORDS VS, 


the bright outlook become overcast as the roads in- 
land were closed in 1913 because of the political dis- 
turbances already described. 


DR. SHARON J. THOMS 


The darkest shadow of this period was the sudden 
and tragic death of Dr. Sharon J. Thoms on Janu- 
ary 15, 1913. This resulted from a fall from a pole 
while stringing a telephone wire that was to connect 
his home in Matrah with that of Mr. Barny at Muscat. 
It had been arranged between them that each was to 
start the next morning with work parties until they 
met, but Dr. Thoms had a free hour in the evening 
and started with his men in order to be clear of 
crowded streets in the morning, and about sun-down 
the accident occurred. The next day his mortal re- 
mains were interred in the new cove set aside for 
Christian burial near the one where are the graves 
of Bishop French and George Stone. 'These coves 
look out toward the rising sun, emblematic of that 
great dawn when the dead shall rise. Many and sin- 
cere were the expressions of sympathy from all 
classes from the Sultan down. ‘There was no doubt 
as to the place he had won in the hearts of the people 
of Muscat and Matrah. Even today there are those 
at Bahrain also who gratefully preserve his memory. 
Dr. Cantine wrote of him in an appreciation, “His 
sturdy Christian parentage, his early years on a 
Michigan farm and the necessity for working his way 
through school and college, gave him a stamina of 
mind and body and a self-reliance which were most 
useful in his chosen calling. A graduate of the med- 


158 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


ical department of the University of Michigan, his 
profession was always his ideal, to which year by year 
he gave steady increments of study and self-denial, 
and from which he drew unstintedly for the good of 
his fellow-men. It might better become a fellow 
physician to mention his acquirements in surgery 
and medicine, but an ever growing reputation be- 
speaks an ability the loss of which sadly cripples our 
Mission. Dr. ‘Thoms was doubly blessed in that 
with his professional skill he also had those manly 
gifts which inspire cheer and confidence, and that 
personal interest in his patients which alone gives 
meaning to the work of a medical missionary.” 

The daily clinics were continued by the compound- 
ers under the direction of Dr. Harrison who came 
from Kuwait for a visit of several months. The 
Mission then appointed Dr. and Mrs. Worrall, and 
in 1914, this work was restored as regards numbers 
reached. One unfortunate result of the loss of Dr. 
Thoms was that the negotiations for land for the 
hospital came to an end. ‘These negotiations proved 
tedious and proposed deals ended once and again in 
disappointment, while those who followed did not 
have the time or the knowledge of local conditions to 
go ahead in such a matter. 

In 1911 Miss Lutton was appointed to women’s 
evangelistic work at Muscat, where she continued 
during this period. Visiting and receiving visits was 
the method employed, while an open-air Sunday 
school proved effective for a long while. Method, 
tact and patience opened for her a large number of 
houses of the rich and the poor. After entrance had 
been gained to a house still more tact and grace were 


LENGTHENING THE CORDS. 159 


needed to make the social opportunity an evangelistic 
one. Medical work for women was begun by Mrs. 
Cantine when she resided at this station from 1904 to 
1907. Women constantly came with their ailments 
and when a clinic was opened it became evident that 
this line of work would be an asset. With Dr. Can- 
tine, she started a fund for the erection of a women’s 
dispensary against the time when the Mission could 
place a woman doctor there. ‘These plans did not 
come to fruition until 1913, when the. Muscat 
Women’s Dispensary was built, consisting of a drug 
and treatment room combined, an operating room, a. 
ward for eight beds and ample verandahs, at a total 
cost of $1,800. The following year Dr. Hosmon was 
appointed when she had completed her language 
study and the foundations of a prosperous work were 
laid. 

‘These years at Bahrain were marked not so much 
by extension as by steady, intensive effort. Dr. and 
Mrs. Zwemer returned to their station after an ab- 
sence of four years. Mrs. Zwemer returned to 
America in 1911, and the following summer Dr. 
Zwemer went to Cairo under an arrangement with 
the United Presbyterian Mission of Egypt and the 
Nile Mission Press, since which time Cairo has been 
his headquarters. Mr. Moerdyk then had charge of 
the evangelistic work for a number of years. Boys’ 
education was in the charge of Mr. Dykstra until his 
furlough and was then carried on by Mr. Van 
Peursem. In the medical department Dr. Mylrea 
served Mason Memorial Hospital and the wider field 
of touring, and was followed by Dr. Worrall who 
in 1918 was succeeded by Dr. Harrison. In the 


160 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


women’s several agencies Mrs. Zwemer, Miss Scarde- 
field, Mrs. Mylrea, Mrs. Dykstra and Mrs. Van 
Peursem were active. Besides these there was a suc- 
cession of newly appointed workers, who, as language 
students, added to the station’s efficiency as oppor- 
tunity offered. As regards equipment, there was but 
one addition in the shape of a one-room building to 
answer for an office and mejlis or reception room for 
the use of the clergyman. <A useful addition to the 
church was the installation of a tower clock, the first 
of its kind in East Arabia, the cost of which was 
raised by local subscription. Much touring was ac- 
complished both locally on the Bahrain islands and 
farther afield on the Arabian mainland, to Ojeir, 
Hassa, Kateef and to the Pirate Coast. In order to 
make the approach to the latter more easy, Linga 
on the Persian side of the Gulf was opened as an 
out-station, where a Bible shop was rented and a col- 
porteur placed in charge. 

Summarizing the results of these five years, it is to 
be noted that geographically the Mission covered the 
widest extent of territory in its history, with six sta- 
tions and four out-stations. One of the latter was 
Zobair, that stronghold of exclusive Nejdi families 
and of fanaticism, where once missionaries and col- 
porteurs were stoned and driven out. Medical work 
reached its largest proportions with three fully 
equipped hospitals, one smaller establishment for 
women, while at Matrah the funds were on hand for 
a plant. Statistics show a total of 31,855 treatments 
in 1910, and in 1914 the record is 23,709 “new cases,” 
which means more than double that number of treat- 
ments. More important than the increase in num- 


LENGTHENING THE CORDS 161 


bers was the assured position won throughout the 
field. Patients came from near and far, rich and 
poor were served. In epidemics of small-pox, cholera 
and plague the stricken people appealed to our doc- 
tors. At Basrah the work was practically self-sup- 
porting, while at the other stations the fees received 
helped to carry a good part of the expense. In edu- 
cation, real advance was registered at Basrah alone, 
where in the boys’ and girls’ schools there was 
healthy growth from year to year. At the other sta- 
tions the ground held was retained, sometimes at the 
cost of much labor, but there was no growth. The 
advance in evangelism was noteworthy. ‘The years 
1912 and 1913 were the most fruitful in Scripture 
sales, which were over 8,000 in each case. In the 
latter year 2,638 religious books were sold besides. 
There was a corps of twelve capable colporteurs, 
eight of them working in shops, the others on the 
road. ‘The territory of the Mission was covered by 
tours in every direction, in which work the medical 
missionaries and helpers also shared. "The Sunday 
preaching services were patronized in increasing 
numbers by Moslems, a feature noted especially at 
Muscat and Bahrain. 

The Mission sought to extend its influence also 
beyond its immediate territory. The “Jiddah Fund” 
resulted from a missionary service conducted on 
board ship by Dr. Zwemer when the party of 1910 
was on its way to the field. ‘This was administered 
by the Mission until Dr. Zwemer went to Cairo, when 
he was asked to superintend the work from there. 
Colporteurs were sent on several occasions and Dr. 
Zwemer rented a house, used in 1913 by Miss Jennie 


162 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


de Mayer, an independent worker, who among other 
labors, came to Jiddah to work among the pilgrims. 
Reference has already been made to Linga on the 
Persian side of the Gulf. ‘That coastline of 1,500 
miles from Karachi in India to Mohammera near 
Basrah, with its large towns unclaimed for Christ, 
often engaged the thoughts and prayers of the mis- 
sionaries. Unable to enter it, the Mission sought to 
interest other churches, notably the Reformed Church 
in the United States, but the proposals met with no 
response. Negotiations with the British and For- 
eign Bible Society looking towards the establishment 
of a depository in Basrah came to a successful issue, 
so that the supply of Scriptures for the whole field 
was simplified. Finally in 1911 was held the Second 
General Conference on Missions to Moslems at 
Lucknow, in which the Mission had a large share 
through the leading part taken by Dr. Zwemer. 
Three other delegates were also sent. ‘The Confer- 
ference represented six different countries and fifty- 
eight different societies. Its influence on the general 
Moslem missionary problem was wide-reaching but. 
since it published its own full report no further refer- 
ence is called for. At its Annual Meeting of No- 
vember, 1914, held at Muscat, the T'wenty-fifth An- 
niversary of the Mission was duly celebrated and the 
following Minute adopted. 


TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY 
The Arabian Mission in celebrating its Twenty- 


fifth Anniversary returns grateful thanks to God, 
our Heavenly Father, for his loving care and many 


LENGTHENING THE CORDS 163 


blessings during these years. The quarter century 
has seen the growth of a Mission consisting of two 
young men to a force of thirty men and women who 
continue consecrated to the original purpose of occu- 
pying Arabia for Christ. 

The people reached, the medical and educational 
service rendered, the Scriptures distributed, the 
preaching performed have all steadily increased dur- 
ing this time. 

The Mission, while it has not outgrown its pioneer 
character, as it hopes it never will, until every Arab 
tribe has received its message, has shown its inten- 
tion of permanently occupying every position gained, 
by gradually placing Christian homes and _ institu- 
tions in every center of population it has been pos- 
sible to enter. 

There have been marvelous changes, not only in 
the attitude of the people reached, but also in their 
political circumstances—changes which were never 
thought possible in the early days. 

The Mission has experienced and indeed helped to 
bring about no less remarkable changes in the whole 
Moslem problem both as met with in the world of 
Islam and as received by the Christian Church. 

For these and many other evidences of God’s guid- 
ance and providence and His clear purpose of using 
the Arabian Mission in increasing measure for His 
glory and the salvation of the Arabs, we present our 
fervent thanks to God and pray that for our enlarg- 
ing responsibilities we may be endued with greater 
faith and faithfulness. 

On this occasion also, we the other members of the 
Mission, extend our congratulations to Dr. Cantine 


164 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


upon the completion of his first quarter century of 
service, thanking him for the inspiration of his ex- 
ample and precept, not only in dealing with the ultra 
Islam for which we work, but also in solving the 
problems of Mission policy and management. We 
pray with him that he may be given many more 
years of service and that he may see the full fruition 
of his hopes for the evangelization of Arabia in this 
generation. We also extend these congratulations 
to Dr. Zwemer, another of the founders of the Mis- 
sion, who is now occupied in work that affects all the 
rest of the Moslem world as well as Arabia, and 
thank him for the special share he has had in the pro- 
motion of the Mission. 

We remember also the names and labors of those 
who have loved Arabia to the end, counting not their 
lives too dear a price for the winning of the Moslem, 
and we pray that we who enter into their labors may 
have no less a love for them, “That they may turn 
from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan 
unto God, that they may receive remission of sins 
and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by 
faith in Christ.” 

Our Board of Trustees, especially those who have 
been with us from the beginning, share our thanks, 
and join in our thanksgiving, for the progress and 
success to which this anniversary draws attention. 
Without their direction of our work here and their 
leadership of our friends and supporters at home, the 
Mission could not have prospered. 

We now as a Mission most earnestly plead that 
our Board mark this occasion by granting in full our 
request for six new missionaries, making a special 


LENGTHENING THE CORDS 165 


appeal to the churches and friends of the Mission 
that the present debt be wiped out, and increased 
funds provided, that the reinforcements may come to 
us to take up the new positions that God is now 
opening for us, and to share in the harvesting for 
which the Church and we have been patiently work- 
ing these twenty-five years and which we now believe 
to be imminent. 

That it be resolved: That a copy of this minute 
be sent to the Board of Trustees, and to Dr. Zwemer, 

That Dr. Cantine be requested to address the 
meeting, 

That the Literature Committee be directed to give 
the widest possible publicity to this minute, and that 
in adopting this minute the Mission rise while prayer 
is offered. 


CHAPTER IX. 


YEARS OF THE RIGHT HAND OF THE 
MOST HIGH 


1915-1924 


The years from August, 1914, till November 11, 
1918, were years of stress and strain for all the world 
and for missions everywhere, years of restraint and 
hardships. And yet, who will say that they were not 
years of the Most High when His right hand was 
made manifest in the affairs of nations? As to the 
years following, when gradually the intellectual and 
moral atmosphere has been clearing, it is only blind 
unbelief that refuses to recognize His hand, refuses 
to recognize that Christ the King is shaping the king- 
doms of the earth into His own everlasting King- 
dom. ‘To justify such a faith it is not necessary to 
assign to each political event a place in some assumed 
divine program. It is enough, in confessing with 
Paul that He determines for nations their appointed 
times and the bounds of their habitation, to see that 
He has been working along the lines of nationality. 
Nor is it needful to attempt an analysis of the 
mental awakening that began towards the close of 
the war, if that is not too large a word for the fer- 
ment of ideas that is at work in these regions. ‘The 
fact is there is the ferment and the Arabia and Meso- 


166 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 167 


potamia of today are vastly different from what they 
were ten years ago. Some of the phases of the 
change are helpful to mission work while others make 
the work of the Mission more difficult. But be it 
opportunity or be it challenge, these are God’s 
methods with His Church. The chapter will set 
forth some of the salient facts of the period and 
their bearing on the work of the Mission as far as 
space will allow and then take up the most striking 
features of the work itself. 


WAR CONDITIONS 


The gloom of the World War had settled every- 
where by the beginning of 1915, and its effects were 
felt not only in Basrah and Mesopotamia, being an 
actual war zone, but throughout the whole extent of 
the Mission. The work in Basrah during the War 
will be described separately and we consider here 
general conditions throughout the field. ‘To the 
Arab mind war is not the calamitous thing which we 
feel it to be. ‘Thus when the news of the various 
declarations of war was flashed across the wires no 
great excitement was caused. Ignorance of geogra- 
phy and of world politics effectually hid the signifi- 
cance of the conflict from the mass of the people. 
There was a measure of surprise that the Christian 
powers should fight among themselves and of curios- 
ity as to what it was all about, but the questions of 
right and wrong involved aroused no great interest. 
At first there was some partisanship but an effective 
censorship stamped out evidence of pro-German 
sympathy. In these lands moral questions do not 


168 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


become burning issues unless Islam is believed to be 
involved and then passions are inflamed. But since 
Moslems fought on both sides there was no issue, and 
at no time was fanaticism of any kind aroused. 
When the cost of living kept going up steadily, 
bringing hardship upon everybody, there was com- 
plaint that the Christians should bring such distress 
upon the Muslimeen. 'The lesson that nations do not. 
live to themselves still had to be learned. But if 
there was no fanaticism-nor any manifestation of 
open opposition, there developed in time a spirit of 
cold indifference and cynicism about religion in gen- 
eral that made work harder than in times of opposi- 
tion. The great prosperity that came to Mesopo- 
tamia after the British occupation and the lesser 
waves that extended down the Gulf at various times 
following upon the seasons of hard times had the 
effect of unsettling men’s minds. Present rewards 
loomed large and the rewards of a future life became 
hazy and men were outspoken in saying that they 
had no use for religion or books about it. This was 
not a passing phase at one of the stations but an atti- 
tude experienced in all the shops and on tours. While 
the stocks of geographies and atlases lasted and the 
papers kept for the use of visitors kept coming with 
some degree of regularity there were numerous visi- 
tors. And if the workers had been willing to discuss 
war, politics, or how to make money, there would al- 
ways have been willing listeners. Medical work was 
unaffected as men and women would still get sick 
and the schools ran on, but it was the evangelistic 
workers who had to face this situation. 

The War made itself felt at once through the un- 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 169 


settling of the means of communication as mail and 
cargo steamers were requisitioned. As the struggle 
for the mastery of the seas became more tense, this 
evil increased in the Gulf, though at no time was 
there any actual danger to shipping there. The ad- 
ministrative side of the Mission’s activities suffered 
from this cause in several ways. Depending, as the 
Mission does, on regular postal service in order that 
the stations may keep in touch with each other and 
preserve that unity of operation that is essential to 
a body of its kind, irregularities in the mails are not 
merely annoying but a matter of serious import. 
Likewise communication with the home authorities 
must be regular for obvious reasons, but whether it 
was between the stations or between the Mission and 
the Board, across many seas with their danger in- 
fested zones, letters were delayed or lost and mat- 
ters kept pending with the loss of time and oppor- 
tunity. No one who had to undertake a journey in 
those days will fail to remember the difficulties in- 
volved in travel. Apart from the dangers of mine or 
submarine, steamers were requisitioned and passages 
cancelled without notice, hotels everywhere were 
crowded, and passport regulations with numerous 
visas were irksome beyond measure. The long jour- 
neys to and from America of furloughed missionaries 
meant vastly increased expenditures of time and 
money, especially when the route via the Atlantic 
was closed and the much longer one, via the Pacific, 
had to be used. Again the dislocation of the local 
steamer services made travel between the stations an 
uncertain undertaking. Normally there is not much 
going to and fro between the stations in the course 


170 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


of the year but the holding of the Mission meeting 
depends upon good steamer connections. In these 
years meetings had to be omitted, as in 1915 and 
1916, and at none of the others was there a full at- 
tendance. Not until 1919 was it possible to meet at 
Basrah. When war ended financial problems were 
still pressing and we now find the Mission going to 
the expediency of holding its meetings in India. A 
number of its members go there on vacation and by 
combining the two objects a certain saving in travel 
was effected though at the expense of full attend- 
ance. Such a meeting was held at Kodaikanal in 
1920 and at Karachi the following year. Finally 
and entirely for financial reasons a meeting by dele- | 
gates was held in 1924. The result of these experi- 
ences was to show plainly that successful operation 
and co-operation depend upon regular meetings, and 
that any saving of time or money in this way is 
more than counterbalanced by the loss of corporate 
solidarity and sympathy. 

Financial problems, indeed, arose early in the war 
and bore heavily upon the work, both while it lasted 
and after. ‘The problems were manifold but in truth 
they were just one big problem, the same that is al- 
ways felt when income no longer suffices for expendi- 
tures. Except for the raising of the 25th Anni- 
versary Fund of $25,000, which was completed in 
1916, the yearly income of the Mission varied little 
from 1914 to 1918. Unfortunately a large part of 
that fund had to be applied to wipe out a deficit that 
had accumulated but at that it was a great help and 
saved the Mission from the necessity of a drastic re- 
duction of its force. Those were the years when the 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 171 


cost of everything went up by leaps and bounds, and 
when the currencies became unsettled. The rate of 
exchange was in favor of the American dollar for a 
while and then it went the other way. The conse- 
quent loss by exchange acted like a “cut” on the 
Mission’s income. In another connection will be told 
how at a certain stage the Board fixed the rate for 
all its remittances to the field, thus assuming this loss 
on exchange. ‘This step steadied Mission finance 
throughout the rest of the decade. 

One of the grave problems created by this financial 
situation was how to maintain a sufficient native 
agency. ‘There came a time when from a business 
point of view the Mission could no longer compete in 
the labor market. As the cost of living went up the 
Mission advanced the rate of pay for its helpers but 
the time came when it could no longer meet demands, 
and some of its helpers left the service. In Mesopo- 
tamia business ventures of almost any kind were 
bound to succeed, and the military and civil estab- 
lishments offered employment at extraordinary rates 
of pay. At the same time there was a lowering of 
tone in spiritual things as material gain seemed more 
attractive than the Lord’s work. From altogether a 
different source a further cause tending to reduce the 
native staff became operative. When Turkey entered 
the War as a belligerent the supply of helpers from 
Central Turkey was cut off. It is matter of history 
how the Turks in their madness went about to wipe 
out subject Christian peoples. A most pitiful ele- 
ment in that tragedy was the destruction of the Prot- 
estant communities, the fruits of years of work on 
the part of American Board missionaries. ‘The Mis- 


172 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


sion had come to depend upon the Mardin schools 
and church and the surrounding regions for its teach- 
ers and colporteurs. During the War and years 
after no more helpers were secured from this source. 
What these conditions meant may be seen from the 
fact that at the end of 1914 the Mission reported a 
total of forty-four men and women helpers, the next 
year thirty-five, and by the end of 1920 the number 
was reduced to eleven. It is fair to state that a part 
of this large shrinkage was due to the closing of the 
Matrah hospital and Lansing Memorial Hospital at 
Basrah, but the loss affected every department, 
especially colportage. 

The total number of missionaries increased in the 
course of the ten years but the Mission suffered seri- 
ous loss in the strength of its medical faculty. Be- 
ginning with a total of nine, men and women, the 
number was reduced to four in 1918, and is now only 
six. When America went into the war and its young 
manhood was mobilized for national service the sup- 
ply of recruits for mission service was cut off. Thus 
in 1918 there were no less than five doctors who 
might have been appointed to Arabia but who were 
thus diverted. Heroic efforts were made to save first 
the medical work of Matrah and then likewise Lans- 
ing Memorial Hospital, but they both had to be 
closed. 

BASRAH DURING THE WAR 


Turning now to actual war conditions as they de- 
veloped in Basrah, it is matter of history how, at the 
outbreak of the conflict in Kurope, Turkey declared 
her neutrality but how by unneutral acts she showed 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 173 


her leaning towards the Central Powers until in No- 
vember, 1914, she threw in her lot with them and de- 
clared war on the Allied nations. On October first 
she denounced the Capitulations, when the British 
post office was closed. Before that, discriminatory 
acts against Allied shipping led to retaliatory meas- 
ures by the Indian government, which forbade Brit- 
ish ships entering the Basrah river. Foreign trade 
came to a standstill and Basrah station was cut off 
from the rest of the Mission. ‘There was active anti- 
Allied propaganda but passions were not aroused 
and the work of the station went on much as usual 
until draftmg for the army became active, when 
there was some interruption. When, however, war 
was declared there were stirring days. Crowds of 
armed Arabs headed by fanatical mullahs paraded 
the streets, proclaiming the jihad or holy war, de- 
claring death to all infidels and discharging their 
guns to make their chants and war cries more em- 
phatic. The Christian community had reason to fear, 
for it only needed the right spark to kindle this 
Moslem fanaticism to the fury of slaughter. 
Immediately upon the declaration of war, Dr. 
Bennett and Mr. Van Ess called upon the Governor 
and offered the use of the Mission hospital and 
schools for the accommodation of Turkish wounded. 
The offer was gratefully accepted and since the 
British had at once landed a force at F'ao, at the 
mouth of the river, and proceeded to march on 
Basrah, it was only a few days till Lansing Mem- 
orial Hospital was taxed far beyond its capacity. 
The hospital operated under Red Crescent auspices 
and was the only efficient medical unit that the Turk- 


174 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


ish forces could rely upon. As fresh batches of 
wounded were brought in those who had had their 
wounds dressed and could be moved had to make 
room for the fresh cases. As the British forces 
moved nearer Basrah the number of wounded in- 
creased until one evening orders were received to get 
all who could be moved ready for removal to the 
river steamers. That night the Turkish civil and 
military authorities moved bag and baggage out of 
Basrah. As soon as the populace realized that there 
was no constituted authority, bands of marauders ap- 
peared and looting began. ‘The custom house and 
steamer warehouses were well stocked with all kinds 
of merchandise and the looters were kept engaged in 
carrying off their booty until clouds of smoke at the 
river front told the tale of rapacity overreaching it- 
self and ending in wanton destruction. Marauders 
looted each other on the streets and shooting was so 
common that it was no longer safe for peaceable 
citizens to go about. When matters had come to a 
desperate pass, the boom of a cannon told of the 
arrival of the British navy, and the next morning the 
troops marched through the streets and took posses- 
sion of the town. ‘This was November 21, 1914. 
They were hailed by everybody as liberators and 
order was restored at once. ‘The work that had been 
going on at the Lansing Memorial Hospital was 
continued but the Red Cross displaced the Red 
Crescent, and it became the regular unit for Turkish 
and Arab wounded prisoners of war. Basrah now 
became an occupied area and the arrangements of 
orderly government were soon set in motion. A very 
striking feature of the change was the completeness 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 175 


of the disappearance of all things Turkish. With 
the old regime went a long list of restrictions and 
the missionaries mentioned especially the grateful 
sense of relief at their coming to an end. 


RESULTS OF THE WAR 


Leaving for the present the further consideration 
of this station’s activities, we shall now attempt to 
summarize some of the results of the war and of the 
conditions following as these are related to mission 
work. With Turkey completely humiliated at the 
close of the war and Syria, Palestine and Mesopo- 
tamia in the hands of Christian powers, the disin- 
tegration of Moslem political power seemed com- 
plete. The first tendency was to regard this as an 
unmitigated blessing, sure to result in the opening 
up of large opportunities for the advance of Chris- 
tianity at the expense of Islam. Such optimism 
failed to take account of the nature of Islam and 
Christianity. A Moslem can never transfer his al- 
legiance to a Christian government, and as for 
Christ’s kingdom, it does not come by the might of 
armies nor by the power of political combinations. 
In the first place, events which transpired in the 
sight of all were not such as to inspire the more 
thoughtful Moslem with admiration or respect for 
Christian nations. The idealism of Woodrow Wil- 
sen, for some reason, met with a hearty response in 
all these regions. The famous “Fourteen Points” 
were hailed as a very gospel of deliverance from all 
forms of foreign domination. When they saw, or 
thought they saw the Peace Treaty extend the right 


176 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


of Christian governments to “protect”? Moslem states 
under different names, resentment and _ bitterness 
filled their minds. ‘At the centre of the Arab spirit 
is a great love of freedom shot through with a vast 
pride. Like the Jews of old they boast “we have 
never yet been in bondage to any man” and though 
he might be placed under the most enlightened rule 
his free spirit chafes at the thought of vassalage. 

Secondly, the passing of organized Mohammedan 
political power as represented by a powerful state 
may have given some food for serious reflection as to 
why Islam seemed to be losing ground. For the 
mass of the people the result was a weakening of all 
religious sanctions, if we really have here a case of 
cause and effect. Probably economic causes had 
much to do with the condition noted. The sudden 
material prosperity which came to Mesopotamia, in 
which at times the Gulf also shared, opened avenues 
of easy gain. Far from any desire for spiritual guid- 
ance, a wave of worldliness swept over these regions. 
In the reports of the Mission for 1919 and 1920 ac- 
count is taken of these conditions and solemn appeal 
is made to the Church at home to support its work in 
Arabia, not alone with increased gifts, but particu- 
larly by prayer “that His own omnipotence may be 
exerted to bring into the hearts of the Arabs the light 
and His life as it is in Christ.” 


RECONSTRUCTION 
After the war came reconstruction with its first 


hectic years of expansion followed by deflation, after 
which came the slow and sober process of recovery. 





THE SHEIKH’S LEVIES, BAHRAIN 





THE NEW PIER, BAHRAIN 





THE YEARS 1915-1924 TAS 


Both in political and commercial circles in Iraq a 
boom period was initiated in which schemes for the 
development of the country were laid out on most 
optimistic lines without reference to the realities of 
the situation. Programs of education, sanitation, 
public safety, irrigation, etc., were organized, involv- 
ing expenditures which the country could not raise 
and which the British tax-payer refused to shoulder. 
The Versailles Peace Conference delayed month 
after month in grappling with the problems of the 
Near East, and when the British Mandate of Meso- 
potamia was declared, an ungrateful people at- 
tempted to claim independence and to be freed from 
the tutelage of a mandatory. In the meantime Mos- 
lem propaganda in India, the Pan-Arab movement 
in Kgypt and Syria, and the Turkish national renais- 
sance, all had their echoes or counterparts in this 
land. In 1920 the senseless uprising of the Arab 
_ tribes involved the country and its mandatory in vast 
expenditures. Harassed by an irate constituency, 
impatient of further expenditures in “the Mespot’’ 
and faced by a more or less hostile attitude in the 
country, the British government put into execution 
the plan of exercising its mandatory rights and 
duties through an Arab state having representative 
government with a constitutional monarch at the 
head. ‘This state, comprising in general the former 
Turkish provinces of Mosul, Baghdad and Basrah, 
was called Iraq, and its first king, Feisul bin Hus- 
sein, was crowned at Baghdad in August, 1921. Sir 
Perey Z. Cox, K.C.I.E., facile princeps of British 
administrators in these parts, as High Commissioner, 
carried through the organization of the state and 


178 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


directed its destinies in the first years. In rapid 
stages, British officials were withdrawn and Iraqis 
given posts of responsibility so that, except for a 
limited number of advisors, this new state is running 
largely on its own power and this experiment in 
state-making is progressing apace. 

The bearing of these things on mission work is im- 
portant. The original treaty between His Britannic 
Majesty and the king of Iraq contains the following: 


Article III. His Majesty the King of Iraq agrees to frame 
an Organic Law for presentation to the Constituent Assembly 
of Iraq and to give effect to the said law, which shall contain 
nothing contrary to the provisions of the present Treaty and 
shall take account of the rights, wishes and interests of all 
populations inhabiting Iraq. This Organic Law shall ensure to 
all complete freedom of conscience and the free exercise of all 
forms of worship, subject only to the maintenance of public 
order and morals. It shall provide that no discrimination shall 
be made between the inhabitants of Iraq on the ground of race, 
religion or language, and shall secure that the right of each 
community to maintain its own schools for the education of its 
own members in its own language, while conforming to such 
educational requirements of a general nature as the Government 
of Iraq may impose, shall not be denied or impaired. 

Article XII. No measure shall be taken in Iraq to obstruct 
or interfere with missionary enterprise or discriminate against 
any missionary on the ground of his religious belief or nation- 
ality, provided that such enterprise is not prejudicial to public 
order and good government. 


It will be seen at once that while the right of mis- 
sionaries to live and work in this state is guaranteed, 
Article III. guaranteeing freedom of conscience is of 
vastly greater importance for the development of 
missionary work not only, but for the real progress, 
intellectual, moral and religious, of this nation. ‘The 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 179 


Organic Law has been promulgated and Article II. 
provides, “Islam shall be the State Religion, but 
there shall be ensured to all dwellers in the country 
complete freedom of conscience and freedom to prac- 
tise all forms of worship, unless contrary to public 
safety, order and morals.” 

The question is how will this law be interpreted 1 in 
practice? ‘The fundamental law of the State Re- 
ligion forbids a Moslem to change his religion on the 
pain of death. Freedom of conscience means noth- 
ing if a man may not change his religious beliefs. 
Let it be said that representative government, equal 
rights and freedom of conscience are high ideals and 
at present are far above everyday thought and prac- 
tice. But it must be remembered that there is such 
a thing as the educative value of law and that ideals 
do in time work down into the practical experience 
of a people and that, therefore, the declaration of 
these principles is of vast importance to us who work 
for the uplift of this nation. 


CHANGES IN EAST ARABIA 


In East Arabia in the region of the Persian Gulf 
there was no such political development as in Iraq. 
After the death of Sheikh Mubarrek, Kuwait's 
“strong man,” friendly relations with the ruler of 
Nejd gave place to enmity. As a result Kuwait’s 
trade with the Nejd has ceased, while the Ikhwan 
have annexed most of its territory and on several 
occasions attacked the environs of the town, upon 
which occasions British protection was invoked and 
received. Bahrain was definitely declared a British 


180 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Protectorate in 1921, when the powers of the local 
sheikh were limited and the finances put on a sound 
basis and administered for the public welfare. Im- 
provements have been introduced, one striking one 
being the sinking of artesian wells which furnish a 
steady supply of good water. In Oman, peace be- 
tween the ruler of Muscat and the inland chief was 
brought about, giving the Muscat missionaries hope 
of recovering the field for touring so long shut. The 
rise of Ibn Saud’s power was noted in the last chap- 
ter. During these ten years he has extended his con- 
quests and he now controls all of inland Arabia and 
in addition some of its coasts east and west, even in- 
cluding the holy city of Mecca. Whether his power 
can be called a state is a question; certainly there is 
in this Ikhwan movement none of the nationalist 
consciousness that has manifested itself throughout 
Asia. While it is true that these parts have not had 
the upheavals of Iraq, their inhabitants have shared 
sympathetically in the aspirations of Kgypt, Morocco, 
Syria and Iraq. Mental horizons have been widened 
everywhere. K.verywhere there is an increasing use 
of machinery, and motor cars are becoming more | 
numerous, which means also opening of roads. 
There is no longer the self-complacency of former 
years and education is being sought. One would 
fain see changes also in the religious attitude but it 
is yet too early to note tendencies. 


THE FORCE 


In this decade there were sent out sixteen regu- 
larly appointed missionaries as follows: 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 181 


1915—Miss Charlotte B. Kellien. 
1916—Mrs. Regina Rabbe Harrison. 
1917—Rev. and Mrs. Henry A. Bilkert. 
Miss Mary Cubberley Van Pelt. 
1918—Mrs. May DePree Thoms. 
1919—Dr. and Mrs. Louis Paul Dame. 
1921—Miss Ruth Jackson. 
Miss Rachel Jackson. 
Miss Cornelia Dalenberg. 
1922—Rev. and Mrs. Bernard D. Hakken. 
Miss Grace O. Strang. 
1923—Dr. and Mrs. William J. Moerdyk. 
There were three special appointments made, viz.: 
1916—Dr. E. E. Lavy, of the Baghdad C. M. S. 
Mission. 
1922—-Mr. George Gosselink, Short term teacher. 
Dr. W. Norman Leak, Short term doctor. 


In the same time there were lost by death, Mrs. 
Christine Iverson Bennet, and by resignation, Dr. 
Arthur King Bennett, Dr. and Mrs. H. R. Lank- 
ford Worrall, and Dr. and Mrs. Hall G. Van 
Viack, all in 1917. On completing her term of 
service, Miss Minnie C. Holzhauser returned to 
America in 1916. There are, therefore, on the roll 
of the Mission, forty names with the names of the 
Pioneers included. However, Dr. and Mrs. Cantine 
have been transferred to the United Mission in 
Mesopotamia, and Dr. and Mrs. Zwemer are as- 
signed to general Moslem work with Cairo as their 
centre. There are, therefore, thirty-six workers on 
the field, being an increase of six in the decade. 
Mrs. May DePree Thoms, who had retired on the 


182 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


death of her husband in 1913, was re-appointed in 
1918. Mr. and Mrs. Barny were loaned to the Arcot 
Mission during 1919 and were located at Madana- 
palle Station. Rev. G. J. Pennings and Miss Ger- 
trud Schafheitlin were married at Bahrain June 17, 
1920. The location of the missionaries was in gen- 
eral as follows: (Account is not taken of transfers 
for shorter periods nor of the time of furloughs. 
Where no year is given the entire period is indi- 
cated. ) 

Muscat—Rev. and Mrs. Barny, to 1917; Rev. and 
Mrs. Van Peursem, from 1917; Miss Lutton; Dr. 
Hosmon; Miss Kellien, 1919-20. 

Bahrain—Rev. J. E. Moerdyk, 1915; Rev. and 
Mrs. G. D. Van Peursem, to 1916; Rev. and Mrs. D. 
Dykstra, to 1920; Rev. and Mrs. G. J. Pennings, 
from 1920; Dr. and Mrs. Paul Harrison; Dr. and 
Mrs. Van Vlack, to 1916; Dr. and Mrs. C. P. Dame, 
from 1921; also at this station all language students. 

Kuwwait—Dr. and Mrs. Mylrea; Dr. and Mrs. 
Calverley; Miss Scardefield, from 1919; Miss Schaf- 
heitlin, to 1918; Miss Van Pelt, from 1921; Miss 
Strang, from 1922; Dr. Leak, 1922-23. 

Basrah—Dry. and Mrs. Cantine, to 1920; Rev. and 
Mrs. Barny, from 1920; Rev. J. E. Moerdyk, 1917-19 
and from 1921; Dr. and Mrs. Van Ess; Dr. and 
Mrs. Van Vlack, 1916-17; Dr. and Mrs. ‘Bennett, to 
1916; Miss Holzhauser, to 1916; Miss Kellien, from 
1921; Mrs. Thoms, from 1922; The Misses Jackson, 
1924; Mr. Gosselink, from 1922. 

Amara—Rev. and Mrs. Bilkert, 1921; Rev. and 
Mrs. Dykstra, from 1922; Dr. and Mrs. Moerdyk, 
1924. 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 183 


Nasiriya—Rev. J. EK. Moerdyk, 1920. 

Baghdad—Dr. and Mrs. Cantine, from 1921; 
Rev. and Mrs. Bilkert, from 1922. 

Owing to the increased cost of travel and its diffi- 
culty a number of the missionaries extended their 
terms of service beyond the usual limit. However, 
such action is exceptional and the Mission generally 
abides by what experience has proved the safe 
division of time, viz., five and a half years on the field 
followed by a year and a half at home. If these 
furloughs could be so arranged that a fixed number 
would occur each year, there would be the least de- 
rangement of the work, but just here is the difficulty. 
As it is now, there is a cycle of seven years when the 
incidence of furloughs is very heavy. Such a cycle 
occurred in 1915-16 and again in 1922 and 1923. The 
lowest ebb in the strength of the field force was in 
1916 when the number was reduced to twelve. The 
report for that year explains the situation thus: “It 
was the round of necessary furloughs that thus re- 
duced the numbers. We say necessary furloughs. 
When the history of the Mesopotamia campaign 
comes to be written, the real exploit will not prove to 
be feats of military prowess but the successful solu- 
tion of the problem of keeping an army at all in the 
country and healthy enough to fight. The Mission 
has learned in length of time what the military 
authorities found out in breadth of experience, that 
the best asset is the health of the workers. So it was 
that although the furloughs due, if granted, would 
cause the gravest problem as regards the work, the 
Mission voted them and met the situation as “best it 
could.” ‘The “best it could do” was not very good, 


184 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


for when one has the work of two or even three to do 
something must be left undone. Fortunately, such 
an extreme situation did not occur again. 


DR. CHRISTINE IVERSON BENNETT 


The death of Mrs. Christine Iverson Bennett, 
M.D., occurred in Basrah on January 21, 1916. By 
that time the nature of the Red Cross work of Lans- 
ing Memorial Hospital ‘had largely changed from 
surgical to medical, cases of sickness occurring among 
Turkish prisoners being evacuated to India. One 
evening a batch of such were brought to the Hospital 
designated as “fever cases,’ but they were really 
cases of typhus. When the correct diagnosis was 
made it was too late and the entire staff came down 
with the terrible disease in quick succession. Miss 
Holzhauser suffered a relatively light attack. Dr. 
Bennett followed with a very severe attack. Mrs. 
Bennett gave herself unstintedly to his care as well 
as of the rest of the staff until she was attacked. 
She was removed with her husband to one of the 
large Red Cross hospitals where she received every 
care but without avail. While Dr. Bennett was in 
the delirium of fever she passed on to the Better 
Land. ‘The family was to have returned home on 
furlough in the spring but God’s will had the eternal 
home in store for her. Her death made a profound 
impression in Basrah even in those days when death 
was so common. The funeral was made an official 
occasion, the highest civil and military officers being 
present in person or by representative. Dr. Van Ess 
read the funeral service. Many and sincere were the 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 — 185 


expressions of sorrow from the people of Basrah, 
especially from the women who had lost a good 
friend and faithful helper. Sir Percy Cox, the High 
Commissioner, expressed his high esteem of her in a 
communication to Dr. Chamberlain. “May I take 
the opportunity to offer to your Mission my deep 
sympathy at the loss of Mrs. Bennett. I had the 
privilege of knowing her, both as Resident in the 
Gulf and as a member of the Force, and realize the 
great loss which we have suffered in her sad death 
in the midst of the devoted labors of herself and her 
husband.” Dr. Cantine wrote of her in Neglected 
Arabia, “While her intellectual gifts were not few 
nor small, it was her qualities of heart that endeared 
her most to all who knew her. Her sunny smile and 
bright and ready speech made her a delightful com- 
panion to all she met in the social life of the station, 
both within and without the Mission circle. Her 
optimism and unfailing cheerfulness were a great 
comfort to her co-laborers, and her large charity for 
the faults of others and an obliviousness to her own 
virtues, helped her to become one of the most loved 
of our missionaries.” 


WAR WORK AT BASRAH 


Beginning at Basrah, we may conveniently con- 
tinue the story of the activities of Lansing Memorial 
Hospital. The early months of the war were indeed 
busy ones, and vastly more work was accomplished 
than the staff had ever thought possible. Particular- 
ly heavy was the work after the battle of Shaiba, 
when tents were set up on the compound for the ac- 
commodation of the wounded. After the fighting 


186 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


moved well to the north of Basrah the work settled 
down to a regular routine which ended in the sad 
circumstance, already related, which led to the death 
of Mrs. Bennett. It need hardly be stated that the 
British authorities truly appreciated this service. A 
substantial expression of this was given in the gift of 
Rs. 10,000 from the Imperial Relief Fund and the 
Moslems of Bombay, mediated by the Commanding 
General, Sir A. Barret. No red tape of military 
procedure was allowed to interfere with the just, and 
generally generous, settlement of all points of co- 
operation. When the work was extremely heavy it 
was, of course, impossible to carry on the clinics for 
the people of Basrah, but in due time these were 
started for both men and women. .The regular 
preaching service was interrupted but much personal 
work was nevertheless accomplished, and of those 
who passed through the hospital there were some who 
professed faith in Jesus, and several died in the peace 
of their new faith. After Dr. Bennett returned to 
America, Dr. Van Vlack of the University of Michi- 
gan Scheme, took up the work and carried it on until 
his furlough in 1917. Then for a brief period Dr. 
Lavy of the C. M. S. of Baghdad kept the work go- 
ing, and then it was closed not to be re-opened again 
since there was no doctor available. With the medi- 
cal staff of the Mission depleted as it was, the pros- 
pect of a fresh start faded. A civil hospital was 
established with extensive technical facilities and 
Maude Hospital, a fine building, was erected. There 
are also many practitioners who have set up private 
practice so that the medical need in Basrah is no 
longer what it was nor is it to be compared with other 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 187 


parts of the field. Because of these conditions the 
plant was sold to the Boys’ School and the fund was 
set aside for future use. In 1924 this fund was trans- 
ferred to Amara where Lansing Memorial Hospital 
is rising for renewed service, we trust with the same 
blessing to that place, but for many more years than 
at Basrah. 

For the schools at Basrah the change of govern- 
ment meant a free atmosphere and fresh opportun- 
ity. In all the excitement of those days in November 
the Boys’ School was closed for only two weeks. 
The Girls’ School suffered a longer interruption. 
As soon as the British began to organize the admin- 
istration of this province there was great need of 
interpreters and clerks with a knowledge of English. 
Not only graduates of our School found remunera- 
tive employment but the older boys were given work 
so that for a time the enrollment was adversely af- 
fected by the popularity of its scholars. When the 
authorities turned their attention to education they 
found that there was literally nothing to build upon. 
Not to mention school houses, or apparatus, there 
was no body of teachers even for primary education. 
As a beginning an agreement was made with the 
Mission whereby Dr. Van Ess undertook to super- 
vise the organization of primary schools in the most 
needy localities and to train promising pupils as 
teachers as rapidly as possible in special normal 
classes; in consideration of these services the authori- 
ties agreed to give an annual grant-in-aid towards 
the expenses of the School. This arrangement con- 
tinued for a number of years and the grants were 
continued until under the Arab government there 


188 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


was a change of policy. In the first year the Mili- 
tary Government did not judge it expedient to begin 
female education, but they showed their sympathy 
in the matter by giving a grant to the Girls’ School 
conducted by Mrs. Van Ess. ‘The work in these 
schools went on steadily and progressed without any 
attempt at spectacular enlargement. The ideal 
sought after has been thoroughness of scholarship 
with the development of Christian character and the 
consistent growth in enrollment from year to year 
argues real advance. We are accustomed to the 
idea of the widening influence of medical work; the 
School of High Hope is earning the same fame, for 
in 1924 there were inquiries made for the admission 
of sons of the ex-Sultan of Zanzibar. In that year 
the enrollment reached 200. In 1921 the Girls’ 
School opened a branch school at Ashar, the rapidly 
growing suburb of Basrah, which has become a co- 
ordinate school with the parent one. ‘The enrollment 
of girls in 1924 was 100. 

Mention has been made of the transfer of the 
Lansing Memorial Hospital building to the Boys’ 
School. As explained in part, that transfer was car- 
ried out as a sale, the funds in question being a part 
of the Educational Fund of $25,000 which Dr. Van 
Ess had raised in America while on his furlough. 
No structural changes were made but repairs were 
executed and this building houses the primary and 
elementary schools and the boarding department. A 
new building containing five large class-rooms and a 
lecture hall was erected for the upper school. The 
cost of this was Rs. 19,000, met from a generous 
donation from Dr. and Mrs. Hill of Poughkeepsie, 


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THE YEARS 1915-1924 189 


supplemented by other funds. The institution is 
now well housed and the School of High Hope has 
an assured place in the community. The Girls’ 
School is also to have its own plant soon, since the 
Woman’s Board has given $25,000 from its Jubilee 
Fund for land and building. The plans contemplate 
accommodations for a boarding department, which 
is a development long desired and which will add to 
the effectiveness of this institution. 

At the beginning of the war, Bible distribution 
suffered a set-back. Even before the outbreak of 
hostilities touring had to be stopped on account of 
the disturbed condition of the whole district. Amarah 
and Nasiriya remained isolated from the main sta- 
tion, and it was not until military operations had ad- 
vanced well to the north that travel thither was per- 
mitted. On the other hand, the coming of thousands 
of troops in a continuous stream offered a new field 
and in addition to the sales in the dozen ordinary 
languages of the place, Scriptures were handled in 
many new ones, including Chinese, Russian and the 
more common ones of India. An encouraging’ fea- 
ture of this work was the large sales to the British 
troops. As soon as the Army declared the country 
open to civilian travel, the officials courteously per- 
mitted the Mission to use the transport facilities to 
the out-stations, and when the Y. M. C. A. work was 
organized our missionaries frequently had opportuni- 
ties of visiting them in connection with work in the 
Huts. Following the departure of the Turks and 
the coming of the British it seemed as if a new period 
for the winning of converts was dawning, but it was 
not yet the time of reaping. As this base expanded 


190 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


and camp was added to camp means of easy gain 
multiplied and distractions increased and the desire 
for religion vanished. 

In addition to the regular work of the station 
there were many and various services rendered by 
the missionaries, of which only the more prominent 
can be mentioned. The Y. M. C. A. made frequent 
use of the services of Dr. Cantine and Dr. Van Ess 
both in Basrah and in the camps along the rivers. 
Mr. Pennings was loaned to the “Y” for a year, 
which he spent in charge of a hut at Baiji on the ad- 
vanced front north of Baghdad. Dr. Calverley also 
gave three months to this service. Dr. Mylrea was 
called upon for a special mission when relief work 
was made imperative on behalf of the refugees from 
Turkey and Persia. Mr. Barny spent two hot sea- 
sons in Basrah to relieve the hard-pressed workers of 
the station. The holding of services in the Mission 
Chapel for the troops was both a service and a 
privilege, and the memory of them is a bright spot 
for the missionaries, and surely also for many who 
found the Basrah Chapel a very tent of meeting. 
There was the organization of classes for the study 
of Arabic, encouraged by the authorities, and teach- 
ing the same, independently and in connection with 
the Y. M. C. A. With the coming of so many 
strangers there were many calls for help and advice; 
missionaries in many parts of India asked friends in 
Basrah to keep a look-out for their people in this 
place of many temptations. When the refugees from 
the north began to come through they brought many 
of their troubles to the missionaries, and when a large 
camp was organized near Basrah there was the 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 191 


handling of large remittances from America. ‘This 
service continued long after the war. One of the 
gracious services of the ladies of the station in the 
early days was to keep open house for the men of the 
Army, which was especially appreciated when there 
were no Y Huts, and when a touch of home was as a 
sacrament to many. Relief work on behalf of women 
whose men had been conscripted by the Turks was a 
crying need, and Mrs. Cantine and Mrs. Van Ess 
exerted themselves on their behalf and saved many a 
household from starvation or worse. Mrs. Van Ess’s 
investigations were used by the British authorities in 
distributing aid to worthy cases, and she also suc- 
ceeded in inducing wealthy Moslems to contribute. 
These services and many others were all done in the 
name of Him who went about doing good. 

Space will not permit us to review the work of the 
decade station by station. ‘The work of a station 
consists of a daily routine in school, hospital, shop, 
and of house visitation. Such routine steadily and 
patiently repeated does not make interesting reports 
but it is the sound basis upon which the work of the 
Mission is built. Because such routine, or shall we 
say drudgery, has been done, advances are possible 
and the reader may estimate the progress made from 
the following sketches of the more striking events 
of this decade. 


MUSCAT MEDICAL WORK 


We begin with the Women’s Dispensary of Mus- 
eat. In the last chapter we left Dr. Hosmon begin- 
ning her pioneer work there. As was the case at all 
the stations she had to begin at the bottom and meet 


192 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


ignorance and prejudice. If at first she had ten 
patients at the daily clinic, it was reckoned a good 
day. ‘That she now has seven and eight hundred pa- 
tients a month is regarded almost as a matter of 
course, but figures do not tell all the story. It is the 
changed attitude of the women of Muscat. Confi- 
dence has taken the place of fear and prejudice, and 
trust the place of suspicion. ‘That her field has ex- 
tended far inland from whence patients come is in 
accord with the experience of the other medical 
centres. But the striking feature of Dr. Hosmon’s 
work is the fact that she regularly tours out in the 
district. ‘The fact that a single lady with her helper 
can go out a hundred miles from Muscat in perfect 
safety and carry on medical missionary work speaks 
volumes for the power of medical skill in the service 
of Christian love. “My next place was Hazam, a 
village twenty-five miles across the desert, located at 
the foot of the Rostak mountains. The air was de- 
lightful and I had fairly good clinics from all the 
villages around. ‘There was excellent respect from 
every one who was present at the Gospel services.” 
To complete the record it must be mentioned that 
Dr. Hosmon has received gifts of land for the ex- 
pansion of in-patient work as also of money for the 
repair of a building on that land, besides other gifts 
from Hindu merchants and native Arabs. 


BAHRAIN MEDICAL WORK 
Mason Memorial Hospital, with its present staff 


and plant, has an annual capacity of about ten thou- 
sand patients and five hundred major operations for 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 193 


both men and women. In a hard year the numbers 
reported might be less, whereas in good years they 
have been much larger. In the course of the decade 
there were epidemics of plague, cholera, small-pox 
and influenza, which always meant greatly increased 
toil on the part of the staff, sometimes of the whole 
station, in the effort to stem the ravages of death. 
Such selfless service did not go without recognition, 
one of the tangible expressions of this being the aid 
a prominent merchant gave in securing land next to 
the Mission compound. ‘The widening influence of 
the Hospital was referred to in the last chapter. 
This has increased to such an extent that now, during 
the season of Gulf travel, every up and down steamer 
brings its batch of operative cases from all parts of 
Oman and from Persia, while the less regular sailing 
craft land their quotas. Largely on account of the 
lack of a woman doctor, the women’s department of 
the Hospital was slower in developing. However, 
in the last few years marked advance was made in 
the field of obstetrics, when a number of women pre- 
ferred the services of Miss Dalenberg and Nurse 
Sundri to those of their own midwives, thus going 
counter to many deep-seated prejudices. The great 
difficulty in receiving lying-in cases, as well as of 
operative cases, is the lack of accommodation. Hence 
the decision was reached to appeal for a new hospi- 
tal for women and children, and in 1924 the Board 
approved it. A fine site adjoining the medical com- 
pound was given by Abd-ul-Aziz bin Qusaibi, the 
local representative of the Ruler of Nejd, through 
the good offices of Major Daly, the Political Agent. 
Ten thousand dollars was voted for this hospital by 


194 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


the Boards at home, and Rs. 20,000 has been raised 
locally. Two princely gifts of Rs. 5,000 each were 
given by Sheikh Hamed, the ruler of Bahrain and 
by the Anglo Persian Oil Company. The balance 
was subscribed in lesser sums so that Rs. 50,000 is 
assured, and the erection of the building has begun. 
Mr. Victor Rosenthal, the Paris pearl merchant, who 
had some years ago given the funds for the “Rachel 
Isolation Wards,” again visited Bahrain, and after 
going over the Hospital gave the funds to enlarge 
the building by the addition of three well-built wards. 
The ruler of Bahrain has also given a large site for 
Hospital helpers’ quarters, and added to the original 
compound so as to eliminate an awkward corner. 
These and other evidences of good-will are pleasant 
to record, especially when it is remembered that no 
measure of success has been purchased at the cost of 
missionary purpose. It would be pleasanter to re- 
cord tangible evangelistic successes also. It can cer- 
tainly be said that this work stands high in the es- 
teem, even in the affection, of the people of Bahrain. 
Opposition is not all dead and it comes out now and 
then, but the general attitude is that of friendliness. 
Surely God can use such an attitude in the further- 
ance of His kingdom. ‘The medical staff has found 
the “Medical Ford,” the gift of which was secured 
by Dr. Harrison in 1923, a great help, especially in 
the out-call work. 


KUWAIT MEDICAL WORK 


The Kuwait Hospital had at first to shelter both 
the men’s and the women’s work, but it was seen at 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 195 


once that this could be but a temporary arrangement. 
The appeal for a women’s hospital was approved and 
the funds collected in 1916, and the construction 
taken in hand the following year, though not com- 
pleted for several years for lack of funds. In 1916 
was completed the Colonel Grey Ward, an addition 
to the Men’s Hospital, made possible by the gift of 
Rs. 1,000 by Col. Grey, who was then Political Agent 
at Kuwait. A gift of land by the Sheikh in 1914 
was noted. In January, 1921, Sheikh Salim donated 
an additional piece, and in 1923 one of the leading 
men, Abdul Latif bin Esa, added a considerable 
piece to the Mission compound. ‘The capacity of 
each of the hospitals is about 5,000 cases a year with 
100 operations. In the earlier years and under ad- 
verse conditions the number was smaller, while in the 
most recent years this limit has been exceeded. 

In Kuwait also, there have been epidemics to com- 
bat, when the endurance of the whole staff was put 
to the severest test. A striking service was rendered 
by the Men’s Hospital in October, 1921, on the oc- 
easion of an attack by the Ikhwan on a village near 
Kuwait. After the death of Sheikh Mubarek, rela- 
tions between Kuwait and the Nejd became hostile, 
to the detriment of the former both in territory and 
in trade. This battle was one of a number but the 
casualties on this occasion were large. Nearly one 
hundred and twenty wounded were brought to the 
Hospital for Dr. Mylrea to care for. A good deal of 
appreciation of this service was expressed by the 
leading men of the town, but the trouble was that it 
all consisted of pious talk of the kind these people 
love to indulge in. Dr. Mylrea relates how on a 


196 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


busy morning after a good deal of such talk he 
“boiled over” and gave some of these people a 
straight talk on charitable deeds vs. pious talk, with 
good effect. ‘The next day a leading man who had 
always been an enemy of the Mission came to the 
Hospital and handed the Doctor Rs. 500 with “as 
gracious a little speech as I had ever listened to.” 
Others then brought donations of rice and cash to the 
amount of Rs. 6,100. In 1924, on the occasion of 
another raid by a body of the Ikhwan, a like service 
was rendered when, however, the number of wounded 
was much smaller. This station also rejoices in hay- 
ing a Ford car which came through the generosity of 
Miss Scardefield’s home church, and which she has 
given to the medical department. An Electric Light- 
ing Plant given by the Roseland Church of Chicago 
has also been a real benefit to the medical work and 
to the station. 


OPENING THE INTERIOR 


Article 2 of the Rules of the Arabian Mission reads: The 
object of the Mission, in accordance of its original plan, is the 
evangelization of Arabia. Our effort should be exerted directly 
among and for Moslems, including the slave population; our 
main methods are preaching, Bible distribution, itinerating, 
medical work and school work. Our aim is to occupy the 
interior of Arabia from the coast as a base. 


The italics belong to the text. This declaration of 
the aim of the Mission has been received with various 
shades of sympathy, as indeed, it might be. In the 
Mission, it has always been taken in its literal mean- 
ing, without apology, without interpretation. It has 





ABD UL AZIZ “BIN SSAUD AND ATTENDANTS 


’ 
i 





DADAM EPR EA DY TEOrS DAR TAR ORSRTADEH 


198 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


of 1919, when he made a longer stay. The next tour, 
in November, 1921, fell to Dr. Dame, and again in 
November, 1924, he made a very extended tour. 
Abdul Aziz himself needed medical care for a week. 
A month was spent in Riadh and then the way was 
opened for him to extend the tour to Shukra, to 
friendly Anaiza and to Boraida and from there he 
returned to Bahrain by direct road, arriving home 
after an absence of four months and seven days. 

In characterizing these tours little need be said of 
the physical endurance and courage required, since 
the doctors do not make mention of these things, 
though they should not be forgotten. These tours 
were made at the invitation of one man, which fact 
must be kept in mind in estimating the extent to 
which this door of missionary endeavor is open. 
Every indication is that as long as he holds the reins 
he will remain friendly to our doctors and extend his 
invitation to them once and again. But after he goes 
the way of all flesh, what then? The tours were 
made in the midst of a revival of primitive Islam 
with all its fanaticism and proseletizing zeal, surely 
not a favorable atmosphere for mission work even on 
the part of a doctor. Speaking of this atmosphere, 
Dr. Dame relates how the daily greetings (?) were 
“Ya kafir! (Oh unbeliever). ‘The curse of God be 
on the kafir! God kill the kafir! Dog! etc. I never 
knew that so many people in one place were so 
anxious that God curse and kill me.” Yet these doc- 
tors had all the work that they could do. For the 
last tour Dr. Dame reported 6,552 clinic patients, 128 
major operations, 214 minor operations and 81 Neo- 
salvarsans. And it was not as if medical success had 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 199 


been purchased by lowering the missionary standard. 
From the first, Sultan Abdul Aziz understood that 
our doctors would come as Christian missionaries, 
and for the first time in 1300 years Christian prayer 
was publicly offered in the heart of Arabia each day 
when the doctors began work. The question of open- 
ing permanent work in Hassa has been taken up with 
the Strong Man of Arabia, but he answered, “Not 
yet.” The next time he may say “Yes.” Will the 
men and the means be ready then? 


THE PIRATE COAST 


In the spring of 1919 Dr. Harrison was able to 
go to the Pirate Coast, where a long closed door was 
opening again. How this came about is told in Dr. 
Harrison’s words. “However, men will get sick 
even in the most religious of Mohammedan com- 
munities and sick men gravitate toward a doctor, no 
matter what is his religion or theirs. So gradually 
there came to be quite a stream of patients from that 
part of the world to the Mason Memorial Hospital, 
far away as it was. In these men we saw an oppor- 
tunity. There are no Arabs anywhere that respond 
to the appeal of common democratic brotherly friend- 
ship as do the Omanees, and God eventually used the 
friendship of these men to open the doors that had 
been shut so long. Many letters were written to 
various sheikhs, thanking them for giving us the op- 
portunity of treating their subjects and offering to 
pay their city a visit for more extensive medical work 
if it were desired. Constant dripping will wear away 
a stone. By and by, the most powerful sheikh of 


200 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


them all sent a letter inviting us to come.” The 
people were found to be most cordial and a vast 
amount of work was done. A most remarkable event 
was when at an honorary dinner given the Doctor, 
to which sheikhs and notables had been invited, the 
spokesman asked whether a petition to the Mission 
might be successful in having a medical missionary 
appointed for permanent work in that region. Alas, 
the answer had to be that the Mission did not have 
a doctor to give them, nor has it yet been possible to 
meet that request. Other tours have been made since, 
always with the same cordial reception. It is no 
longer a man of Macedonia in a vision saying, “Come 
over and help us,” but men of flesh and blood in dire 
need, asking for help the Mission should give. In 
connection with the subject of touring, mention must 
also be made of successful visits to the peninsula of 
Katar with its chief city of Dohah, by which also 
needy territory is opened to missionary work. 


PREACHING 


All these noteworthy events took place in the 
sphere of medical work. In the nature of the case, 
the mission doctors have an easier approach to the 
hearts of men than the other workers, though it must 
never be concluded that any of the gains made were 
easily won. But the reader will naturally ask 
whether the evangelistic agencies have any advances 
to show. In the Article quoted above from the Rules 
of the Mission, one of the methods of work is said to 
be preaching. 'There is not a station at which from 
the beginning regular Sabbath services have not been 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 201 


held by the minister of the station. It may be re- 
marked in passing, that it has been the rule to hold 
an English service for the missionaries and the mem- 
bers of the foreign communities, but our interest now 
is in the Arabic services. Moslems were always in- 
vited to attend them, and from year to year reference 
is made in the reports to the presence of at least a 
few. Sometimes at one station or another larger at- 
tendance was recorded for a while but such advances 
were not maintained. The state of affairs for years 
was described in a few sentences in the report of 
1912. “A rejoicing feature at some of the stations is 
the increasing tendency of Moslems to attend. ‘The 
tendency is slowly increasing. May we also say, 
surely? Any wave of feeling stops it now, but when 
it is over, people come back.” Let us now review the 
present state of these services at three of our stations. 
Beginning at Muscat, regular attendance of men and 
women at the Sunday service is a feature. ‘The con- 
vert, Marash, reads the Scripture lessons or in the 
absence of the missionary may conduct the whole 
service. In 1922, the chapel had already been found 
too small on occasions. At Bahrain there is the 
formal morning service to which the patients from 
the Hospital and their friends are invited, and the 
chapel is comfortably filled, sometimes crowded. In 
the evening a song service is held to which young 
men from the town come, thirty, forty, sometimes 
sixty. How they sing the hymns which they select 
themselves! We go to Kuwait and at the Mission 
house a Bible school is held Sunday mornings. In 
the afternoon everyone goes to the town house, where 
school is held during the week. Here Moslem men, 


202 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


mostly young, and women are gathering, perhaps to 
the number of a hundred. The main feature of the 
meeting is the sermon or lecture in which the whole 
counsel of God for the salvation of sinners is set 
forth. Now the feature about these services to be 
noted is that they are definitely known to be for 
Moslems. And then they are no longer tentative, 
temporary attempts but recognized features in the 
life of the communities. 


AMARAH STATION 


Amarah became an out-station in 1914 after it had 
been made a station for several years. Not until 1920 
did the Mission feel justified in once more raising it 
to the full status. That year, upon the completion 
of their language study, Rev. and Mrs. Bilkert were 
stationed there. ‘They remained there until the 
spring of 1922, when they were transferred to Bagh- 
dad, and Mr. and Mrs. Dykstra took up the work. 
During the war Amarah had been one of the large 
base camps of Mesopotamia, so much so, that the 
native was lost sight of amidst the hosts of British 
and Indian troops. Until the country round about 
was pacified, it was cut off from the head station, 
but when once communications were fully estab- 
lished, Dr. Cantine and other members of the station 
once and again went there on Y. M. C. A. duty, and 
our work was regularly supervised. Much Bible dis- 
tribution was done among the troops in various 
languages. When the tide of war receded there were 
left behind some good things, such as a power plant 
supplying electric current and ice, and some things 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 203 


not so good, such as cheap cinemas, dancing girls 
and plenty of whiskey. ‘The Bible shop there was 
always a great centre of influence and the work was 
reorganized around it. Almost at once there was 
encouragement in the number of inquirers, and Mr. 
Bilkert was able to baptize a young man, Ali, who 
later became shop-keeper. Mr. Dykstra developed 
the Sunday service, and as a result also of Mrs. Dyk- 
stra’s work among the women, a growing circle of 
men and women attend. 


THE “MILTON STEWART” 


Amarah was always looked upon as a strategic 
place, as being the base for reaching the thousands 
of villages and hamlets of the river country, extend- — 
ing both to the east and the west. The problem of 
how to cover this territory was a baffling one as long 
as the only means of travel available was the river 
steamers and native craft. ‘The steamers called only 
at the more important points on the Tigris, while the 
native boats were altogether too slow for even nearby 
places. But when the time comes, God’s time, things 
work together for good and circumstances dovetail 
beautifully into each other. When the army was 
withdrawn, its vast supplies were declared surplus, 
and hundreds of launches came on the market at 
greatly reduced prices. By the end of 1921, how- 
ever, such sales were becoming few and it seemed as 
if opportunity were slipping by. The Mission was 
facing the greatest financial problems as regards its 
regular work, and no funds could possibly be di- 
verted to the purchase of a launch, however attractive 


204 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


the opportunity for new work might be. Since 1917 
generous gifts had been received, however, from the 
Milton Stewart Evangelistic Fund, money given on 
condition that it be used at once and for an advanced 
or new work. At the Annual Meeting that year 
these “things” came together thus: Mr. and Mrs. 
Dykstra were assigned to Amarah, a substantial sum 
of Milton Stewart money was voted for the purchase 
and operation of a launch for touring work. Mr. 
Dykstra’s early traimng on a Western farm de- 
veloped in him a real penchant for mechanics, and he 
was the one man of the Mission who could make the 
undertaking a success. From one of the last remain- 
ing lots of launches up for sale he succeeded in get- 
ting the present “Milton Stewart,” a substantial forty 
foot boat with a sound wooden hull and a standard 
British kerosene motor. He has fitted it up with all 
sorts of conveniences and he with Mrs. Dykstra can 
and do spend weeks on board. From the main rivers, 
channels branch off and from these lesser ones and 
so on until the whole country is a network of water 
ways. On these tours Scriptures, literature and 
simple medicines are taken along. The country is 
being opened up and men and women are being 
reached who otherwise would never hear the Gospel 
message. 


EXTENSION INTO MESOPOTAMIA 


How in the providence of God, the Mission was 
led to extend its field to the north is set forth in the 
first report of Dr. Cantine from Baghdad, whither 
he and Mrs. Cantine were sent at the end of 1920. 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 205 


“This annual report records the first year’s history of 
a venture upon new and memorable ground, and one 
which may entail considerable responsibility for the 
future. And although as such it may be thought of 
some importance, yet we may not congratulate our- 
selves that the occupation of Baghdad by the Arabi- 
an Mission means, by itself, a great advance in 
the evangelization of Arabia, such as would follow 
the opening of a new station at Hassa or on the 
Oman Coast. For it must be remembered that 
Baghdad was held by the Church Missionary Society 
years before our Mission was organized, and has not 
lacked continuous occupation from that time on. It 
is true that this mission of the great English society 
did not grow as rapidly as ours did, but when the 
war broke out they had six or seven men and women 
at work in the city and a large and costly building 
enterprise under way. Five years of the ravages of 
war effectually destroyed what could be destroyed of 
missionary enterprise, and when faced with this ma- 
terial loss, and with the necessity for a new begin- 
ning under uncertain political conditions, with also a 
very trying deficiency in both men and means, the 
society decided to withdraw from its Mesopotamian 
field. We, being their nearest neighbors, working at 
some of our stations under identical conditions and 
one with them in their hopes and efforts for the good 
of the Moslem population, it was but natural that we 
should have had to consider what could at once be 
done to conserve what was left of nearly four decades 
of missionary effort; and to keep open this door, not 
alone to Mesopotamia, but also to Northern Arabia 
—a door which might in the inevitable clash of inter- 


206 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


ests incident to the reorganization of the country, 
have been shut for years to come. ‘To this appeal 
the Arabian Mission could not be deaf, and at its 
annual meeting a year ago, we were appointed to 
Baghdad, it being understood, in fact, so noted by 
the Board, that this appointment was only a tenta- 
tive measure, the hope and expectation of the Mis- 
sion and the Board being, that for all Upper Meso- 
potamia some scheme of union effort might be in- 
augurated at home, that would include the Re- 
formed-Presbyterian bodies of America, some of 
them already interested in work among Moslems.” 

When the furlough of Dr. and Mrs. Cantine fell 
due in 1922, Mr. and Mrs. Bilkert were stationed 
there until their return. The Presbyterian Board 
early shared in the concern for this field, and through 
its Persia Mission, occupied the station of Mosul. 
When the Reformed Church in the United States 
joined the scheme for a union effort and sent out a 
missionary family, the United Mission in Mesopo- 
tamia was organized. In another chapter will be 
given an account of that Mission. 


EVANGELISTIC GAINS 


It can thus be seen that substantial advances have 
been made through evangelistic as well as through 
medical work. But no statement of the decade’s 
work would be complete without a reference to 
the winning of followers of the Lord Jesus, since 
that is the object for which all the activities of the 
Mission are carried on. In regard to converts, it 
must still be stated that no organized church of such 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 207 


form among Moslems exists in our field. They are 
still too few for that, and conditions too hard to 
gather them. The Church of Christ in Arabia is in 
its beginnings a martyr church. However, let it be 
noted that converts are coming in larger numbers 
than ever before in these thirty-five years. The num- 
bers of those reported as received on confession for 
the last three years have been five, seven and seven. 
Further, at all the stations not only is the increase 
of inquirers noted but also the fact that the men and 
women coming under instruction are of a better type 
than formerly, and continue for longer periods than 
before, often forming regular classes. And finally, 
surely the morale of the force counts for much. In 
the days of the war we learned that the destiny of 
a nation depends on the morale of its armies. How 
much more is this the case where the conflict is a 
spiritual one. What is meant is expressed in the 
report of the state of the Mission made by the Cor- 
responding Secretary of the Board to the Synod of 
1925. “The perusal of the Report of the Mission 
leaves one with a feeling of thankfulness and comfort, 
as a new hope, after long waiting, seems to have 
entered the hearts of the members of the Mission. 
The manifestations of the presence of the Holy 
Spirit have been many. In addition to those who 
have definitely accepted Christ there have been many 
more who are seriously inquiring into His claims. 
His Gospel seems to have freer access and the mis- 
sionaries are being received with far less reserve than 
formerly. On the whole, the trend toward more 
hopeful thinking among the Moslems is evident.” 


208 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


LORD HARDINGE AT KUWAIT 


There are a few events of special significance to be 
noted. The first is the visit of Lord Hardinge, 
Viceroy of India, to Kuwait in January, 1915, the 
occasion being an official one. He received Dr. and 
Mrs. Mylrea in private audience and also inspected 
our Hospital. “It was a pleasure to show him every- 
thing. He was especially taken with the operating 
room, and said that he thought we had done wonders. 
He asked if the furniture and fittings were not 
American, and when I said ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘I 
thought so—so simple and yet so good.’ He wrote 
in our Visitors’ Book: ‘I wish this undertaking good 
luck and Godspeed,’ signing himself, Hardinge of 
Penshurst. As we left the Hospital to walk up to 
the house, his private surgeon, by whom he was ac- 
companied, Lt. Colonel Sir J. R. Roberts, K.C.I1.E., 
put an envelope into my hand, saying: “This is a 
small donation from the Viceroy, Sahib.’ I after- 
wards found it to contain a check for rupees three 
hundred, a welcome gift in these hard times.” 


DEPUTATIONS 


In April and May of 1916 Dr. William I. Cham- 
berlain, Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions, 
made an extended visit to the stations of the Mission, 
coming as the representative of the Deputation of 
that year, consisting of himself and Mrs. Chamber- 
lain and the Dr. and Mrs. Wm. Bancroft Hill. This 
Deputation had visited the Missions of the Church in 
Japan, China and India, but because of the difficul- 


THE YEARS 1915-1924 209 


ties of travel in the Persian Gulf, Dr. Chamberlain 
made the tour of the Arabian Mission alone. Even 
so, he would not have been able to reach Bahrain 
and Kuwait had it not been for the great courtesy 
of the Resident of the Gulf, Sir Perey Cox, and of 
the Chief Naval Officer, who placed at his disposal 
H.M. S. “Clio,” a sloop of war. A ten-day trip was 
made in her during which not only Bahrain and 
Kuwait were visited but also a number of other 
places, so that conditions in the Gulf could be 
thoroughly studied. Basrah and its environs were 
also investigated. Both the Mission and the Depu- 
tation felt its object was attained, viz., to study con- 
ditions and methods so as to make the future admin- 
istration of the home agencies more sympathetic and 
effective. 

The next event was also a Deputation, this time 
consisting of Dr. Chamberlain and Dr. T. H. Mac- 
kenzie, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of 
the Board. While in India the Deputation met with 
the Mission at Kodaikanal, where the Annual Meet- 
ing was that year in session. It was at this meeting 
that the decision was made to occupy Baghdad, and - 
plans were discussed for the missionary occupation 
of Mesopotamia. September and October were spent 
by the Deputation in the Gulf and in Mesopotamia. 
It was on the occasion of this visit that Dr. Cham- 
berlain went into inland Arabia, getting as far as 
Hassa. Besides the question of Mesopotamia, this 
Deputation investigated the subject of missionaries’ 
salaries, and upon their report the Board granted 
substantial but much-needed increases in both salaries 
and allowances. The coming of such deputations is 


210 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


helpful to both the Mission and the Board, and in the 
rapidly changing condition of the “unchanging 
Fast” they should be more frequent. 

“I will remember the years of the right hand of the 
Most High.” So sang the Psalmist and the Mission 
can look back upon the past decade with the feeling 
of gratitude. The years of the war and its aftermath 
were years to test the spirit of men, and yet we can 
now see that He was carrying out His purpose. 
The more recent years have been marked by increas- 
ing manifestations of His favor, and as the Mission 
enters a new decade and also a new chapter in its 
history, it is with a large measure of faith and hope 
that He will grant the season of refreshment from on 
high until His church shall be established in 


“The land long since neglected, 
But of truth and grace elected.” 


CHAPTER X. 
WOMEN’S WORK FOR WOMEN 


The object of this chapter is not to give a historic- 
al review of the work of the women of the Mission, 
for a good deal of its thirty years of development has 
been given in the previous chapters, while the Jubilee 
Book of the Woman’s Board (Fifty Years in For- 
eign Fields, by Mrs. W. I. Chamberlain) also re- 
views that work decade by decade. But a separate 
chapter is necessary, first, because of the importance 
of this work, second, because it illustrates so strik- | 
ingly the growth of the Mission and the development 
of Christian work in Arabia, and third, because it is 
desirable to give a summary picture of what this 
work is and of its present status. 

It is the custom in missionary literature to accord 
separate treatment to work among women and there 
is ample reason for so doing. However, should this 
be carried too far, some may fall into the habit of 
regarding it as a department or a feature of a mis- 
sion’s activity. Certainly in the Arabian Mission it 
is neither, but is of the very essence of its work. It 
is possible that the Mission may some day decide to 
give up all medical work or all educational work, but 
so long as its objective is the evangelization of the 
people of Arabia, so long must its work for women 
and men go parallel. ‘This fact is here recognized. 
In its councils as in its practice, this parity or rather 


211 


212 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


oneness of its work has always been recognized and 
further, since no people can rise above the condition 
of its motherhood, it is also recognized that until the 
Gospel gets into the harems no movement towards 
Christianity can be expected. 

In no other single aspect of its life is the growth of 
the Mission exhibited as in women’s work. ‘The first 
formal mention of such work occurs in the Arabian 
Mission Statement No. 9, being the record of the 
work of 1896: 

“By ministering to their bodies at the dispensaries 
in Basrah and Bahrain, by visiting villages and huts, 
by reading the Gospel, by teaching morals and most 
of all by her very presence among us and them, Mrs. 
Zwemer has inaugurated a hopeful work for our 
Arabian sisters. Nowhere and at no time since com- 
ing to our Mission was she subjected to any annoy- 
ance or rudeness from the Arabs, although many had 
not seen a white woman before. And it has been 
abundantly demonstrated through her journeys and 
experiences that the door for such work is widely 
open and may prove of untold blessing if others, like 
minded, come out to join her in the work for 
Arabia.” 

But it was to take a number of years till the wide 
open doors should be entered to any extent. In 
1898, two associate missionaries were sent out, and in 
1902 Miss E.. G. DePree, the first single lady worker, 
was appointed. But from that time on there has 
been a steady flow of workers, and today there are 
fourteen associate missionaries and nine single work- 
ers on the roll of the Mission. As for the report of 
the work being done, the Report for Arabia in the 


WOMEN’S WORK FOR WOMEN _ 218 


Woman’s Board Year Book for 1925 covers fourteen 
closely printed pages. The list includes Evangelistic 
Work at Muscat, Bahrain, Kuwait, Basrah and 
Amarah; Medical Work at Muscat, Bahrain and Ku- 
wait, and Educational Work at Bahrain and Basrah. 
What Mrs. Zwemer outlined in her first report has 
grown into a mighty plant, the mustard seed grown 
beyond a herb even to a tree at each of the stations, 
in the shade of which many have found help and re- 
lief and comfort. In medical work accurate figures 
are kept and the statistics of a recent annual report 
are most revealing: Muscat, Total Attendance, 
7,297; Bahrain, Patients in Dispensary, 8,768; Ku- 
wait, Total Treatments, 10,000. 

Equally striking is the development of the “Home 
Base.’ When Mrs. Zwemer became a member of 
the Mission, the Trustees requested the Woman’s 
Board of Foreign Missions to assume her support, 
but so conservative was that body then that action 
was deferred until 1898. In 1900 Mrs. E. E. Olcott 
became a member of that Board and the following 
year she was made Corresponding Secretary for 
Arabia, and she has continued the firm friend and 
faithful fellow-worker of her sisters in Arabia. In 
increasing degree, the Woman’s Board assumed the 
support of the women appointed to Arabia and this 
went on until, in 1918, it adopted the work of the 
Mission for women as a whole, assuming the same 
relation to it as to the other Missions of the Church, 
thus anticipating by six years the action of the 
General Synod of 1924 in making the work in 
Arabia one with the other Missions. How complete 
has become the incorporation of the work in Arabia 


214 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


not merely in the office work of this Board, but in its 
thought and sympathy, is shown by its action in 
assigning two sums, one of $25,000 from its Jubilee 
Fund, and another of $7,500 from legacies, to Arabia, 
making possible the erection of the Girls’ School 
building in Basrah and of the Women and Children’s 
Hospital in Bahrain. 

While it has been stated that the object of the 
chapter is not historical, the table at the end does 
cover the whole history of Women’s Work and is the 
basis of several observations as to what this has been 
and is. In the first place, there is the fact that these 
women, adding together their terms of service, have 
given over three centuries of actual Christian service 
in Arabia, or if the count is made of the total years 
given to the service of the Mission, at home and 
abroad, the total is three hundred and seventy years! 
Surely, that is something to praise God for! ‘The 
table does not show which department of a station’s 
activities the several workers were engaged in from 
time to time. In fact, such a table would be more 
complicated than any cross word puzzle, for an im- 
portant factor in the successful operation of the Mis- 
sion must be noted here, viz., the adaptability of the 
workers. Naturally a doctor does not turn aside 
from the sphere for which she has the technical quali- 
fications but the fact of being a doctor has never de- 
barred such a one from taking over someone’s evan- 
gelistic work when the need arose. As for others, 
due regard would be given to a person’s qualification 
or her desire but when the occasion arose, as it often 
did, the nurse became ‘evangelistic worker or vice 
versa and either became school teacher. ‘The reason 


WOMEN’S WORK FOR WOMEN) 215 


why such an interchange was practicable was the 
close co-operation and the supremacy of the evan- 
gelistic aim in all departments. Again noting the 
table, nearly every one began her missionary life in 
Bahrain or shared in the work there at some time or 
other. ‘This was due, of course, to the practice of the 
Mission of putting all new-comers there to learn the 
language, though not altogether, for many were as- 
signed to other important work which centered there. 
Further, it is to be noted that the women of the 
Mission have fully shared with the men in the hard- 
ship of frequent transfers necessary in a pioneer field 
to keep work going in widely separated stations. But 
the table does not furnish matter for only cheerful 
observations. It must never be forgotten that the 
women of the Mission have paid the price of devotion 
to duty equally with the men in lives laid down. It 
is especially the medical faculty that has suffered 
such losses and now for years there have been but 
two women physicians in all this field. And then to 
think that no woman doctor has been appointed to 
Arabia in fifteen years! 

But what is the work that is being done? One might 
begin with the mention of just every day house- 
keeping. ‘This is not mentioned in the reports as 
work, but gentle reader, it is! And then there is the 
missionary value of our Christian homes, which is just 
as great as of yore, for the relation of husband and 
wife according to Christian standards is still a topic 
of conversation fruitful of many helpful lessons. 
But to the work! Mention has been made of the 
thousands of patients treated at Muscat, Bahrain 
and Kuwait; and before another year is out a similar 


216 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


record will be made at Amarah, it is hoped. Now, 
the basis of this work is the doctor’s technical skill. 
If stress has been laid on medicine as an evangelistic 
agency, it is not meant that there is ever any lower- 
ing of the standard of efficiency. No cheap imitation 
or substitute for the best home standards is offered 
these patients, rich or poor. Work of the dimensions 
going on at these stations could not have been built 
on anything less than thoroughness and skill. But 
the evangelistic opportunities are also many, at the 
morning clinics, with the in-patients and on out-calls. 
It is not all plain sailing, this endeavor to communi- 
cate the Gospel message, but along with the rebuffs 
there are also many hopeful signs, as the following 
report indicates: 

“In former years there have never been so many 
in-patients as of late. Some of the most respected 
families seem to feel it no disgrace to allow their 
women to stay in the hospital. For the first time the 
capacity of our hospital has been taxed. We shall 
soon need to build more private wards. Perhaps the 
greatest evangelistic opportunity of all is that offered 
by the in-patients. Those who are convalescent hear 
the dispensary preaching almost every day. Besides 
this, whenever possible, we have made it a point to 
spend at least one evening in each patient’s room. 
It is remarkable to see the clamoring crowd of dis- 
pensary patients seat themselves with scarcely a mur- 
mur, and listen patiently and with apparent appre- 
ciation to a story from the Gospel and a prayer in 
their behalf. Perhaps they have learned to submit 
gracefully to the inevitable, or perhaps they have 
come to believe our daily assertion that the reading 


WOMEN’S WORK FOR WOMEN 217 


of God’s Word is really more for their benefit than 
any medicine could be. At any rate, it has stirred 
our hearts to look into those scores of upturned faces, 
to hear intelligent answers to our questions about 
Christ, and to see, sometimes, tears welling in the 
eyes of those whose hearts are touched.” 

This was written about the work at Kuwait, but 
it applies equally to Bahrain and Muscat. 

School work also has its technical side, where skill 
and training are essential that the work may be 
built upon sound foundations. In laying out the 
curriculum, the golden mean is sought between what 
is wanted by prospective pupils and what ought to 
be. The standard of scholastic attainment is set high 
and with it goes the ideal of character building. 
There are schools at Bahrain and Basrah. Perhaps 
the hardest work ever done in the Mission was in con- 
nection with that at Bahrain, and for years there was 
not much to show for it. A new beginning has been 
made in the recent years and the outlook is more 
hopeful. The following report indicates this promise 
of the future: 

“T followed the same plan this year as last in doing 
all the teaching myself, the curriculum consisting of 
classes in Bible, arithmetic, reading, writing and 
geography, taught in Arabic; classes in English cov- 
ering conversation, and reading, and vocal music in 
both languages. Friday was again made an Arts and 
Crafts day with drawing, construction, physical ex- 
ercises and sewing, besides the regular Bible work. 
Our total enrollment for the year was 43, consisting 
of 2 Christians, 13 Jewesses and 28 Moslems. The 
latter group included 15 Arabs, 7 Persians, 4 In- 


218 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


dians and 2 Negresses. We had a total of 148 
visitors throughout the year.” 

In Basrah there is a school in the city and another 
in the suburb called Ashar. The former draws more 
Moslems while the latter has many Christian appli- 
cants. These schools have been valuable in the evan- 
gelistic field because of the houses opened to the 
workers. The greatest difficulty has been in holding 
the girls long enough to finish the course because the 
ideal of an educated womanhood has not taken hold. 
Slowly the change is coming. 

“Since our last report was written, two Moslem 
girls completed the eighth year of work and were 
graduated from our Basrah school. ‘To missionaries 
in more advanced Moslem countries, this fact may 
carry no significance, but to us it brings deep satis- 
faction and thankfulness, and is an augury for larger 
results in the future. To the girls themselves, their 
graduation was the culmination of long cherished 
hopes, and to the other Moslem pupils, it has proved 
an incentive to harder work, while in their families 
the sentiment is growing that the school life of girls 
should be prolonged. Some of the mothers have the 
idea that the diploma should be given when a certain 
number of years have passed, quite regardless of 
scholarship, and we are constantly asked for special 
dispensations “for friendship’s sake’; but they are 
gradually learning that there is no royal road to 
learning, and we trust that the time will soon come 
when their ambitions for their daughters will not be 
bounded by an eighth grade certificate.’ From the 
Year Book of the Woman’s Board, 1925. 

Evangelistic work is not institutional but with the 


WOMEN’S WORK FOR WOMEN 219 


passing of the years it is becoming more and more 
systematized. House visitation and receiving visitors 
bulk large at all the stations, and because of the 
large numbers of houses open, regular times and well 
planned routes must be adopted to cover the ground. 
In order to receive all the visitors that would come 
to the Mission houses, “‘at home” days are held, all of 
which makes for system and regularity. There are 
prayer meetings for Christians and for Moslems, 
Sunday meetings and Sunday schools, the instruction 
of inquirers and, under special circumstances, the 
giving of private lessons in houses. No small pro-— 
gram this and one requiring special training just as 
well as medical and school work. The quotation with 
which this chapter closes applies especially to evan- 
gelistic work; it was written by one engaged in it, 
but it applies also to all the work. It has been well 
said that Christianity is not taught but caught. Per- 
haps it would be more truly said that Christianity 
may be taught but Christ-likeness is caught. It is 
the personal contact that counts, it is “just being 
friends” that is winning the hearts of Arabia’s 
women, 

“In the first place, no doubt, it (friendship) is 
founded on curiosity—we are strange, and come from 
the big world outside, and our visits mean a break in 
the deadly monotony of the Mohammedan woman’s 
life—but later they come to prize the steadfastness 
and sincerity of a Christian woman’s friendship. 
‘You Christians always keep your word,’ is a fre- 
quent comment. ‘If you say you'll do a thing, we 
know you'll do it. People of Islam are great lars.’ ”’ 

“In spite of their fatalistic acceptance of their own 


220 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


lot in life, they seem to take vicarious comfort in 
knowing us, women who are happy and free and 
secure, and the contrast between our lives and their 
own is a more eloquent testimony to the blessings of 
Christianity than all the expounding of doctrines. 
Friendship is as much of an art here as in a more 
sophisticated society—one must approach them slow- 
ly, win their confidence gradually and establish a 
bond of sympathy beyond mere words—but once 
won it is a treasure beyond compare. Mrs. Worrall 
is remembered and inquired for by many women, 
whose affection and gratitude are not in the least 
altered by time; and many are the homes where the 
mention of Mrs. Bennett’s name brings tears, as they 
remember and mourn that dear lost friend and her 
ministry of love. 

“We teach their children, we heal their sick, we try 
to show them better ways of living, but of all the 
means by which we endeavor to reach them with the 
ministry of Christianity, I think there is none so 
powerful as this one, of just ‘being friends.’ ” 


HVUSVA “WVHSV LV IOOHOS STHID MAN HHL 








WOMEN’S WORK FOR WOMEN 


221 


THE WOMEN MISSIONARIES AND THEIR LOCATION 


Mrs. S. M. Zwemer 


Mrs. F. J. Barny 


oeere ee eee oe @ 


Mrs. M. W. Thoms, M.D..... 


Mrs. E. H. Worrall, M.D.... 


Miss E. G. DePree, 
(Mrs. Cantine) 


Miss J. A. Scardefield 


eeeee ee 


Miss F. Lutton 


Miss L. M. Patterson, M.D... 
Mrs. J. V. Bennett 
Mrs. M. C. Vogel 


Mrs. B. L. Mylrea 


Mrs. M. D. P. Thoms 


Miss M. Wilterdink 
(Mrs. Dykstra) 


oeoeeeee @ 


Miss T. H. Josselyn, M.D.... 
Mrs. E. T. Calverley, M.D... 


Basrah, 1896; Bahrain, 1896-1906 


and 1910, 1911. 

Muscat, 1898; Basrah, 1899- 
1907; Muscat, 1907-1914; Bas- 
rah, 1920-1923; Bahrain, 1924- 


1925 (Arcot Mission, 1918- 
1919). 
Basrah, 1898-1900; Bahrain, 
1901-1905. 

Basrah, 1901-1911; Bahrain, 
1912-1913; Muscat, 1914-1915. 
Bahrain, 1902-1904; Muscat, 
1904-1907, 1910; Basrah, 
1911-1920; (Baghdad 1921- 
1925). 

Basrah, 1903-1905; Bahrain, 


1906; Basrah, 1907-1910; Bah- 
rain, 1911-1918; Kuwait, 1918- 
1925. 

Basrah, 1904-1905; Bahrain, 
1906-1910; Muscat, 1911-1925. 

Bahrain, 1904. 

Bahrain, 1904-1906. 


Bahrain, 1905-1908; Basrah, 
1908-1913. 

Bahrain, 1907-1913; Kuwait, 
1914-1925. 

Bahrain, 1906-1908; Muscat, 


1909-1913; Basrah, 1918-1922; 
(Baghdad, 1925). 


Bahrain, 1907-1913; Muscat, 


1914; Bahrain, 1914-1920; 
Amarah, 1922-1925. 


Bahrain, 1908-1910. 


Bahrain, 1909-1910; Basrah, 
1911; Kuwait, 1912-1925. 


222 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Miss D. Firman .... 
(Mrs. Van Ess) 


Re: Lie) ate Kol he" 16. 


Miss A. C. Iverson, M.D..... 


(Mrs. Bennett) 
Miss J. Spaeth .... 


(Mrs. Van Peursem) 
Miss S. L. Hosmon, M.D..... 


Mrs. A. B. Shaw... 
Mrs. M. Van Vlack. 


Miss G. Schafheitlin 
(Mrs. Pennings) 


*¢ @ © © © © 


O19. @, ee seh he 


Miss M. C. Holzhauser...... 


Miss C. B. Kellien.. 


Mrs. R. R. Harrison 


Mrs. A. M. Bilkert. . 


Miss M. C. Van Pelt 


Mrs. E. P. Dame... 
Miss C. Dalenberg.. 
Miss Ruth Jackson . 


Miss Rachel Jackson 


Miss G. QO. Strang... 
Mrs. E. V. Hakken. 
Mrs. C. L. Moerdyk. 


Mrs. E. K. De Jong. 
Miss S. J. De Young 


eo Yoy Tel eh exer '6 


o © © ee #8 © 


oF © © © © © 


Cre lies OR OWS es 


e168 Se 6 6 4 @ 


Oeeee. wee 8 8 


ee e+ + © © eo 


eeoeee ee © @ 


eee ee ee @ 


Bahrain, 1909-1911;  Basrah, 
1912-1925. 


Bahrain, 1909-1911; Basrah, 
1912-1916. 


Bahrain, 1910-1916; Muscat, 
1917-1925. 


Bahrain, 1911-1913; Muscat, 
1914-1925. 


Basrah, 1911-1914. 


Basrah, 191 1-1913 ; Bahrain, 
1914-1916, 


Basrah, 1912-1914; Kuwait, 
1915-1919; Bahrain, 1920- 
1925. 


Basrah, 1914-1916. 


Bahrain, 1915-1917;  Basrah, 
1918; Muscat, 1919-1920; Bas- 
rah, 1921-1925. 


Bahrain, 1916-1922; Kuwait, 
1924-1925. 


Bahrain, 1917-1919; -Amarah, 
1920-1921; (Baghdad, 1922); 
Basrah, 1924, 1925. 


Bahrain, 1917-1920; Kuwait, 
1920-1925. Ne 

Bahrain, 1919-1925. 

Bahrain, 1921-1925.: : 

Bahrain, 1921-1923;  Basrah, 
1924-1926... ; 

Bahrain, 1921-1923;  Basrah, 
1924-1925. 

Kuwait, 1922-1925. 

Bahrain, 1922-1925, 

Bahrain, 1923-1924; Amarah, 
LO25i 0 GE 

Under Appointment, 1926. | 

Under Appointment, 1926. 


CHAPTER XI. 
SISTER MISSIONS 


THE KEITH-FALCONER MISSION OF THE UNITED FREE 
CHURCH OF SCOTLAND 


A few months after the death of Ion Keith-Fal- 
coner at Sheikh Othman, his colleague, Dr. B. S. 
Gowen, resigned on account of ill health. Work 
ceased for a while until Rev. W. R. W. Gardner and 
Dr. A. Patterson were sent out in 1888, since when 
there has been no interruption even though the Mis- 
sion has been carried on at a very heavy price of 
life and health of the workers. Rev. Dr. John C. 
Young came out in 1898. Dr. Patterson had re- 
signed in 1891 and when Mr. Gardner resigned in 
1895, Dr. Young carried on the whole work of the 
station besides filling the chaplaincy at Aden. Dr. 
W. D. Miller joined him in 1898 but withdrew after 
his wife’s sad death. Dr. J. R. Morris was then his 
fellow-worker for seven years, at the end of which he 
found it necessary to secure a transfer to India to a 
better climate. In 1906, Dr. A. MacRea was ap- 
pointed and served in the Mission for eleven years. 

In Keith-Falconer’s mind there were two doors of 
entrance to Arabia, the children and the sick. School 
work was carried on by Mr. Gardner and then by 
Dr. Young. When the Danish Mission was organ- 


223 


224 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


ized at Aden this was handed over to them as also the 
Bible work in large part. The Keith-Falconer Mis- 
sion remained essentially a medical mission. Its his- 
tory reads very much like that of any of the stations 
of the Arabian Mission. Much ignorance and 
prejudice and opposition had to be overcome. Grad- 
ually the battle was won. In 1909 the Keith-Fal- 
coner Memorial Hospital was completed. A further 
step in advance occurred in 1911 when two trained 
nurses were sent out, Miss M. Miller and Miss H. C. 
Findlater, followed in two years by Miss A. E. 
Farrar and then by Miss Bryce. 

The following account is from the pen of Dr. 
Young himself, written to the author not many 
months before he was called to the higher service. “I 
am truly sorry that we lost all our Mission records 
when the Turks raided our Mission in 1915. (Not 
only were records lost then but the Hospital was 
ransacked and the Doctor, along with his fellow- 
workers, lost most of their property and especially 
valuable papers and books.) In Sheikh Othman the 
Medical Mission continued to draw patients from a 
very wide area and the Hospital had to be enlarged 
till in 1914 there were 1,437 in-patients and 2,035 
operations were performed, while 54,854 audiences 
were given to the people. Then came the war and the 
subsequent occupation of the village and of the hos- 
pital by the Turks. After this the work was in 
abeyance for nearly six years, when Dr. John C. 
Young and the Rev. James Robson re-started on the 
first of March by opening the hospital, then on the 
first of May Mr. Robson re-opened the school, which 
now bids fair to be a real success, as the war taught 


SISTER MISSIONS 225 


many parents the value of education. At present 
our Mission staff is made up of the following: 
Appointed 
1892—The Rev. John C. Young, M.D., 
1919—The Rev. James Robson, M.A., 
1921—Miss V. M. Cameron, Trained Nurse, 
1924—-Miss Annie MacColl, Trained Nurse. 
On the first of November, 1922, Dr. James M. 
Turnbull got back to the Mission (he had substituted 
during furloughs of Dr. Young and Dr. MacRae) 
along with Mrs. Turnbull, but unfortunately re- 
peated attacks of dysentery so sapped his strength 
that he had to leave Aden for good at the end of 
November, 1924, and his place both as a Christian 
missionary and a skillful surgeon will be hard to fill.” 
And now Dr. Young, the senior missionary of all 
Arabia, himself is gone and his place will indeed be 
hard to fill. He was a great surgeon and a great 
missionary, an acceptable preacher and a great ad- 
ministrator. He could, as he often did, direct the 
work of the Mission when sickness or death deprived 
him of his associates and with it all meet a friend at 
Steamer Point without appearing hurried, or help 
one of his “boys” in his work as Chaplain to the 
Scottish regiments stationed at Aden. Surely Dr. 
Young was a worthy successor of Ion Keith-Fal- 
coner. 


THE MESOPOTAMIA MISSION OF THE CHURCH | 
MISSIONARY SOCIETY 


Baghdad was occupied by missionaries of the 
Church Missionary Society in 1888, after a visit by 
Dr. Bruce, then a missionary in Persia. The first 


226 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


missionary was Rev. 'T. R. Hodges, who afterwards 
went into the service of the British and Foreign 
Bible Sociey. Dr. Henry Martin Sutton was the 
first medical missionary. He laid the foundations 
whereon was built up a strong medical work. Among 
the doctors who worked in this station were Dr. 
Brigstocke, Dr. Storrock, Rev. E. EK. Lavy, M.D., 
and Dr. Johnson. The clergymen stationed here 
were Mr. (afterwards Bishop) Stileman, Mr. Par- 
fit, Dr. Lavy and Mr. Boyes. There were also a 
number of women missionaries, nurses, teachers and 
zenana workers, among them, Miss Martin, Miss 
Butlin, Miss Clark, Miss Kelsey and Miss Lavy. 
In 1901 Mosul was taken over from the American 
Board missionaries and opened as a second station. 
At Baghdad the medical work had advanced to the 
extent that when the war broke out a large building 
project to house the medical work was in hand, cost- 
ing thousands of pounds sterling, there were flourish- 
ing schools, a boys’ school of 160 enrollment and also 
a girls’ school, and the local congregation of Protes- 
tants was regularly organized. In Mosul a flourish- 
ing medical work had grown up and the girls’ school 
under Miss Martin was a very promising institution. 
With the outbreak of the war all this work was dis- 
organized and when a few of the missionaries could 
return they found but little left from the results of 
almost four decades of work, while their property 
was sadly damaged. ‘The Mission had again and 
again to go through periods of a woefully insufficient 
staff, and as a result it lacked that continuity of 
effort which makes for real strength. Consequently, 
when the parent Society had to face the hard fact of 


SISTER MISSIONS 227 


retrenchment in order to save at least some of its 
work, Mesopotamia was one of the fields to be given 
up. To the Arabian Mission, this was a real grief. 
The bonds of sympathy were stronger than any mere 
national or sectarian differences. Our problems, our 
aims and our methods were one, and the Arabian 
Mission always felt that the C. M. S. were a strong 
link in the missionary encirclement of the citadel of 
Islam. 


THE UNITED MISSION IN MESOPOTAMIA 


It has already been related how the Arabian Mis- 
sion occupied Baghdad and began work there and 
how the Persia Mission of the Presbyterian Church 
did likewise in Mosul. The idea of occupying this 
field by some form of co-operative effort by a num- 
ber of Boards was mooted soon after the first steps 
by those two Missions had been taken. ‘Their E:xec- 
utive Officers, Dr. William I. Chamberlain and Dr. 
Robert EK. Speer drew into consultation officers of 
other Boards of the Presbyterian-Reformed family 
of churches. When plans had progressed and taken 
definite shape and the several official bodies interested 
had taken necessary action the first regular meeting 
of the representatives of the co-operating Boards 
was held on November 8, 1923, at 156 Fifth Avenue, 
New York City. The representatives organized as 
The Joint Committee of the United Mission in 
Mesopotamia. This Joint Committee organized with 
the following officers: 

Chairman, Dr. Robert E. Speer, of the Presby- 
terian Board (North) ; Vice-Chairman, Dr. J. C. R. 


228 © THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Ewing, of the Presbyterian Board; Secretary-Treas- 
urer, Dr. W. I. Chamberlain, of the Reformed 
Church in America. The Executive Committee: Dr. 
A. R. Bartholomew, of the Reformed Church in the 
U.S.; Mrs. E. E. Olcott, of the Reformed Church 
in America, and the officers. 

The three Boards of the Presbyterian Church 
(North) and the two Reformed Churches entered 
into active partnership in this union endeavor. ‘The 
Presbyterian Church (South) and the United Pres- 
byterian Church had expressed their adherence to the 
plan, but being unable to assume new responsibilities 
at the time, did not actively participate. ‘The object 
of the Mission was stated to be the evangelization of 
the Moslem population of upper Mesopotamia. ‘The 
Mission organized on the field at the first Annual 
Meeting, which convened at Baghdad on April 10, 
1924. There were present the following mission- 
aries: Dr. and Mrs. James Cantine, of the Reformed 
Church in America; Dr. and Mrs. Calvin K. Staudt, 
of the Reformed Church in the United States; Dr. 
and Mrs. Edward W. McDowell, Rev. and Mrs. 
Albert G. Kdwards, Rev. J. Wallace Willoughby 
and Rev. Roger C. Cumberland, of the Presbyterian 
Church. ‘The work already existing at the time of 
the meeting and since developed consists of evan- 
gelistic work at Baghdad, with out-station work at 
Hillah, and educational work for boys and girls. 
At Mosul there is evangelistic work and educational 
work for girls. Evengelistic work among the Kurd- 
ish tribes of the Mosul area is also carried on from 
Mosul as a base. This Mission is a new experiment 
in co-operation in the history of Protestant Missions. 








ION KEITH-FALCONER HOSPITAL, SHEIKH OTHMAN 





THE RIV BREE RON TS BAGH DAD 


an a 
i 
ee 


Ly 





SISTER MISSIONS 229 


There are many examples of union institutions, edu- 
cational, medical, ete. Here an entire Mission is 
being conducted co-operatively and the experiment is 
working. 


THE DANISH CHURCH MISSION OF ADEN 


About the end of the year 1903, Rev. Olaf Hoyer 
saw an article by Dr. 8S. M. Zwemer in The Mission- 
ary Review of the World, “An Appeal for Hadra- 
maut,” and he came down from Jerusalem to Aden, 
hoping to find a good field of work in Makalla on 
the south coast of Arabia. At first the Sultan of 
Makalla received him with a great show of kindness 
and made him stay with him as his guest, but when 
he went back again to settle there it was a different 
story, and he did all that he could to oppose him, 
ultimately putting him on board an open dhow and 
sending him back to Aden, where he arrived in a 
pitiful condition. On getting back his health, he de- 
cided to wait on at Aden hoping and praying that 
soon the way would be cleared for starting work at 
Makalla. Thereupon, Dr. Young, feeling that he 
could no longer do justice to all the work he was 
carrying on, handed over the educational branch of 
the work at Sheikh Othman to the Danish Society 
and also asked Mr. Hoyer to share in the evangelistic 
work. ‘Thus the two Missions worked together in 
Sheikh Othman till 1910, when Mr. Hoyer de- 
cided to remove to Aden where there would be more 
scope for his school, as the desire for education was 
becoming more pronounced in the town. Moreover, 
as it was felt that there was also a larger field for 
the sale of Scriptures there, the shop was transferred 


230 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


to Aden City and the British and Foreign Bible 
Society contribution was handed over to the Danish 
Mission. In 1911 a determined effort on the part of 
Mr. Hoyer enabled this Mission to establish a Bible 
Shop at Hodeida on the Red Sea. In 1914 the Mis- 
sion consisted of Rev. and Mrs. Hoyer and two 
ladies at Aden and two single lady workers at 
Hodeida. Of course, the war upset everything, but 
in 1919 Rev. C. J. Rasmussen re-opened the work. 
At present the staff consists of Rev. and Mrs. C. J. 
Rasmussen, Miss Voegt, Miss Christensen and Miss 
Anderson. Rev. O. Hoyer is now the Home Secre- 
tary of the Mission at Copenhagen. 


THE CHRISTIAN AND MISSIONARY ALLIANCE 
OF NEW YORK 


Reference must be made to the work of this So- 
ciety through their representative, Mr. Archibald 
Forder. From Jerusalem as a base, he labored on 
behalf of the Society among the Bedawin of north- 
west Arabia, and he carried on real pioneer work in 
that region. His journeys took him as far as Maan 
and Kl-Jowf. One cannot help regretting that the 
Society did not take steps to organize a mission on 
the field so as to conserve the fruits of such heroic 
labor. 

In order to complete .the list of organizations 
laboring for the evangelization of Arabia mention 
must be made of the societies which have no agencies 
of their own in the country but work through the 
Missions. 


SISTER MISSIONS 231 


THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY 


The Bible Societies have modestly called them- 
selves the “Handmaids of Missions,” but a more just 
name would be “helpmeet.” In the work of bring- 
ing the Bible to the people of Arabia, this Society 
preceded the Missions now working in Arabia by 
many years. As early as 1843, Dr. John Wilson of 
Bombay sent colporteurs up the Persian Gulf and to 
Aden. In 1880 a Bible depot was opened in Bagh- 
dad, and in 1886 another at Aden. When Dr. Can- 
tine and Dr. Zwemer settled in Basrah this Society 
supplied them with the Scriptures at depot rates and 
also made them a substantial grant towards col- 
portage expenses. That grant has continued all 
through the years, covering part expense of the col- 
portage at Basrah and Kuwait stations. 


THE AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY 


The Arabic Bible in circulation today is the gift of 
the American Bible Society. ‘This in itself is the 
greatest missionary service of the century rendered 
to this land. ‘The practical missionary in Arabia to- 
day would find it difficult to conceive of his work 
with a less perfect version. Dr. Eli Smith began to 
collect material in 1837, the work of translation was — 
commenced by him in 1848 and from then taken up 
and completed in 1864 by Rev. Cornelius V. A. Van 
Dyke, M.D., D.D., Lh.D. Both this Society and 
the British and Foreign print various editions of 
God’s Word and the missionary has a wide choice of 
types and bindings, and the needs of the poorest are 


232 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


met as well as the desire of the wealthy for a finely 
bound volume. ‘The American Bible Society has for 
years had a share in the Bible work of the Arabian 
Mission by making a colportage grant to the sta- 
tions of Bahrain and Muscat. 

For general literature, devotional, educational and 
controversial, missions in Arabia are dependent 
upon agencies developed in other fields. Since they 
are not distinctively agencies of Arabia, it will be 
sufficient to acknowledge the dependence and grate- 
fully record their names, The American Press, 
Beirut, of the American Presbyterian Mission of 
Syria, and The Nile Mission Press of Cairo. 

In addition, grateful mention must be made of two 
Societies which are truly fellow-workers in_ this 
field as in many others. One is concerned with liter- 
ature, though itself does not publish but furnishes 
the means for publication and circulation; the other 
has the whole field of missionary activity in its prog- 
ram. Missionaries sometimes think of it as “the god- 
mother” among the societies, for it ever has a sym- 
pathetic ear for special and urgent needs that so 
often arise. In both cases each word of the name is 
full of meaning to the missionaries of Arabia. 


THE AMERICAN CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SOCIETY 
FOR MOSLEMS 


THE BIBLE LANDS MISSIONS AID SOCIETY 
OF GREAT BRITAIN 


CHAPTER XII. 
CONCLUSION 


The General Synod of the Reformed Church in 
America convened at Asbury Park, N. J., in June, 
1914, in adopting the report of its Committee on 
Foreign Missions, took the following action: 

In view of (a) The suggestion several times called | 
to the attention of the Board by General Synod, e.g., 
1890, 1892, 1893, 1909, (b) The evident desire of the 
churches for a simplification of denominational or- 
ganization, as expressed in the Report of the Com- 
mittee on the Survey of the Boards and Agencies of 
the Church, (c) The favorable attitude of the mem- 
bers of the Arabian Mission and of their associates, 
(d) The fact that the Arabian Mission has passed 
from the stage of a Pioneer Mission with its special 
appeal, (e) The further fact that the support of the 
Arabian Mission is almost exclusively confined to the 
Reformed Church in America, 

Resolved, That the Board be authorized to bring 
about at as early a date as possible the amalgamation 
of the Arabian Mission with the Board. 

As the terms of the preamble indicate, the General 
Synod in directing the amalgamation of the Arabian 
Mission with the administration of its other Missions, 
was simply directing its Board to bring about the 
necessary legal action and office changes in view of a 
“fait accompli.” There was no longer any reason for 


233 


234. THE ARABIAN MISSION 


the separate organization of the Arabian Mission, 
and amalgamation was the logical step to take. Offi- 
cially “adopted” in 1894, it was now indeed adopted 
by the Church in its sympathy and support. A mere- 
ly cursory review of the reports of the Foreign 
Board reveals that fact. If the Mission suffered with 
the Board’s Missions in the hard times of 1914 to 
1918, it also shared with them in the relief of the 
“One Day Income Fund” of 1918-1919 and in the 
Emergency Fund of 1921; it has its place assigned 
in the work of the Progress Council while in the coun- 
cils of the Woman’s Board it is receiving equal con- 
sideration with the long established missions in 
China, India and Japan. 

And yet this final step of amalgamation is a step. 
Thereby, the Mission returns to the fold of the 
Church from whence it sprang and the question 
naturally arises, What will the Church now make 
of this trust newly taken upon itself? The Arabian 
Mission has a history of fine achievement and of 
great ambition for the Master’s Kingdom in Arabia. 
On its administrative side also, it has been remark- 
able for the men who have directed its destinies. 
What names to conjure with!—Lansing, Searle, 
Cobb and Bingham; and among the living, Olcott 
and Chamberlain and Mackenzie. As regards ad- 
ministration, the Mission can have no misgivings, for 
these men will still direct its affairs and give it their 
wisdom and experience and affection. Can the Mis- 
sion look also with the same confidence to the 
Church? If the amalgamation now brought to pass 
merely means certain legal changes it will be a sorry 
change for the Arabian Mission, which has for its 


CONCLUSION 235 


declared object the evangelization of Arabia. As 
has been stated, the Pirate Coast is waiting for a 
missionary doctor, in fact the whole of Oman again 
lies open to missionary occupation and any day the 
call may come to enter Inland Arabia. What will 
the history of the decade be? Will it be a record of 
advances made or of opportunities lost? No doubt 
the Church also asks, “Watchman, what of the 
night?” and the Mission replies “The morning com- 
eth” with all the assurance of the everlasting Gospel. 
Thirty-five years seems like a long time to labor 
without the visible result of a church of converts. 
But what are thirty-five years compared with the 
thirteen hundred years of the night of Islam and the 
indifference of God’s people? Surely it is not for 
unprofitable servants to be impatient with their Lord 
who has so signally given His blessing to their feeble 
efforts. 

In Neglected Arabia for the last quarter of 1925, 
No. 135, the Treasurer of the Board, Mr. EF. M. 
Potter, explains in detail what the Amalgamation of 
the Arabian Mission means for the Board and for the 
Mission. This with “A Message from Dr. Cantine,” 
appearing in the same number, will fitly conclude this 
chapter and the history of the Mission. Neglected 
Arabia, the quarterly publication of the Mission, has 
been the channel of communication for these many 
years between the Field Force and Home Base. 
Number One was for the first quarter of 1892, since 
which date it has come out without interruption. The 
Mission rejoices and its supporters with it that it will 
continue to bind together all who love Arabia in the 
bonds of intelligent sympathy. 


236 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


AMALGAMATION OF THE ARABIAN MISSION 


By action of the General Synod of 1924 the Board 
of Foreign Missions of the Reformed Church in 
America was authorized “to bring about at as early 
a date as possible the amalgamation of the Arabian 
Mission with the Board.” Owing to the fact that the 
Arabian Mission was originally incorporated in the 
State of New Jersey, while the Board is a corpora- 
tion of the State of New York, the necessary legal 
processes have been long and involved, but finally on 
September 14, 1925, the Vice-Chancellor of the State 
of New Jersey passed a decree dissolving the Cor- 
poration known as the Arabian Mission. Owing to 
the voluntary services of a lawyer serving as a mem- 
ber of the Board, it was possible to complete this 
tedious process practically without expense to the 
Board. 

This step, marking the passing of the Arabian 
Mission into full partnership with the other fields of 
the Church, is a significant culmination of the thirty- 
six years of history of this pioneer Mission, and we 
have therefore requested Dr. James Cantine, one of 
the founders of the Mission, to add his word of com- 
ment upon this development, in the message which 
appears below. 

It is important that all should understand what 
this step means, as it affects gifts for work in Arabia. 
No change whatsoever has been made in the work of 
the Arabian Mission on the field. ‘To all intents and 
purposes it has been for a number of years under the 
administration of the Board and drawing most of its 
support from the Reformed Church. Owing to the 


CONCLUSION 237 


fact of its separate incorporation, however, it has 
been necessary to keep separate records and bank 
accounts and in many other ways to deal separately 
with what after all was one work. We feel sure that 
all will welcome the simplifying of the accounts, the 
eliminating of separate checks for the one Mission, 
and other savings of time and trouble. It is obvious, 
however, that the supporters of the Arabian Mission 
should realize that there is no diminution of work as 
a result of this consolidation and their continued sup- 
port is just as vital as ever. If the elimination of the 
separate machinery should confuse anyone and result — 
in the curtailing of funds sent for the work in Arabia, 
it would be disastrous at a time when the Board is 
heavily in debt. | 

We are particularly desirous of assuring the faith- 
ful circle of syndicates and individuals who have 
made the work in Arabia possible, that the amalga- 
mation with the Board brings no change in the work 
whatsoever, and we trust and believe that you will 
continue through the years to pray for and to support 
this hard and now more promising enterprise which 
has so challenged the faith of the Church. Conver- 
sions are becoming more frequent; the solid wall of 
opposition is at least somewhat shaken. We are 
eager that you share in the joys of realization as you 
have shared in the trial of long working against a 
determined opposition. Your gifts may still be 
designated for the work in Arabia, but checks should 
be made payable to the Board of Foreign Missions. 

Just a concluding word as to legacies. ‘The court 
- decree expressly provides that any future bequests 
to the Arabian Mission will be administered by the 


238 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Board of Foreign Missions. It is unnecessary, there- 
fore, to make an alteration in the wording of a will 
in which some good friend may have remembered the 
Arabian Mission, but for future guidance it might 
be well to advise that such legacies be left to “The 
Board of Foreign Missions of the Reformed Church 
in America for work in Arabia.” 


A MESSAGE FROM DR. CANTINE 


I remember once reading how a certain brigade, 
celebrated for the valor it had shown on many a 
hard fought field, was compelled by the exigencies of 
reorganization to relinquish its name and become an 
integral part of another military body. On the day 
when the change was effected, many were the memo- 
ries recalled of victories gained or losses endured, 
of days of bitter trial and glorious triumph, of battle- 
fields spread over state after state. As the regi- 
mental flags were furled and the insignia taken from 
cap and sleeve, much there was of pride mingled with 
regret, but never was there a doubt expressed but 
that the new should receive, as the old, the fullest 
measure of sacrifice and devotion. Some such feel- 
ing may be pardoned in the older missionaries of the 
Arabian Mission as they see its organization now 
fully merged in that of the larger Board. 

As one now after thirty-six years looks back upon 
the days of its beginning, one readily finds excuse for 
those who judged its inception crude and immature, 
its program unbalanced and doomed to failure. 
Doubtless there were some, or many, who felt as one 
Doctor of Divinity expressed himself, that “it was 


CONCLUSION 239 


not the Lord’s set time to favor work among Mos- 
lems.” ‘The first missionaries themselves, in view of 
what they afterwards saw of the sad fate of other 
similar enterprises, may now stand somewhat awed 
at the rashness which launched this frail craft upon 
the unknown sea of a new crusade. It is sometimes 
said that the first missionaries were men of vision, 
men of faith, but in the opinion of the writer, far 
greater was the faith of those mature minds, who by 
their support of this venture, assumed the responsi- 
bility for the activities of young and untried workers, 
in an unknown environment, attempting a task that 
many deemed hopeless. In glancing over the early 
issues of Neglected Arabia one will see, appearing 
year by year on the lists of supporters, those whose 
share in the accomplishments of the Mission is far 
beyond human measure. 

And in this connection one feels how inadequate is 
any tribute that can be made to the memory of him 
who conceived of the possibility of such a mission and 
inspired those who first sought to realize its hopes. 
There is more than one sad incident connected with 
our early days, but saddest of all was the death of 
Dr. Lansing before he knew of the assured success of 
this child of his heart. To the founder of the 
Arabian Mission belongs the fullest meed of praise 
for the love he bore for the children of Ishmael and 
for the courage with which he met and overcame the 
initial difficulties. Another who gave unstintedly of 
time and strength to the interests of the Mission was 
Dr. J. Preston Searle. Upon him fell the mantle of 
Dr. Lansing, and in those uncertain days his reputa- 
tion among the churches and his fine business ability 


240 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


cleared from our paths many obstacles. And as the 
writer looks back to those early days he always thinks 
most appreciatively of the loving sympathy and 
broadmindedness of the revered Secretary of the 
Board, Dr. Cobb. Always the friend of the mission- 
ary, his personality did much to ensure their whole- 
hearted loyalty to the new regime, when the adminis- 
tration was taken over by the Reformed Church 
Board. 

It is rather remarkable that the considerable num- 
ber of our workers who came from Church organiza- 
tions other than the Reformed body and who were 
most of them attracted to our Mission by its inter- 
denominational basis, should have consented so un- 
reservedly to its amalgamation with the missions of 
our Church. It is a pleasing commentary upon the 
reputation of our Church for brotherliness. Most or 
all of those coming from other Churches, have now 
joined our communion and there will be nothing but 
approval from the field at the full union now con- 
summated. 

As one of those who, in the first years of the Mis- 
sion, went about soliciting contributions, the writer 
has a lively recollection of those who came to our 
help from without the bounds of our own denomina- 
tion; but their number has been gradually decreasing 
and the actual fact of union will not tend to diminish 
the Board’s income from this source. 

One scarcely knows how far the syndicate plan of 
support, adopted by the Arabian Mission from the 
first, still obtains; but there is no reason why syndi- 
cates or indeed individual subscribers should relax 
their efforts or withdraw their support. It was al- 


CONCLUSION 241 


ways on the field a great encouragement to note from 
year to year the same names reappearing on the 
annual reports. Many were thus faithful until death 
and it is to be devoutly hoped that those who still 
remain our special fellow-workers will find no reason 
in the recent action for withdrawal. The Mission 
needs not alone their financial support, but the yearly 
renewal of faith and courage that comes from the 
knowledge of their continued interest. 

If the union of the missions now consummated is a 
milestone in the history of the Arabian Mission, it 
should show not alone what is past but it should 
point to what is to come. ‘To the missionary in 
Arabia it will mean in the future fellowship with our 
fellow-workers in India, China and Japan. It will 
also bring a feeling of closer union with the life of 
our Church at home, and, please God, it will stimu- 
late us all to more faithfulness to our Master, more 
love to all His brethren and a more ardent desire to 
help hasten the time when He shall see of the travail 
of His soul and be satisfied. 


APPENDICES 


MISSIONARIES OF THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Rev. James Cantine, D.D. Appointed 1889 
Born at Stone Ridge, N. Y.; C.E. Union College, 1883; 
New Brunswick Theological Seminary, 1889; D.D. 
Union College, 1908; Acting Corresponding Secretary, 
Board of Foreign Missions, 1916; Honorary Trustee of 
the Arabian Mission, 1916-1925; Charter Member, United 
Mission in Mesopotamia, 1924. 


Mrs. Evizapetu DePrere Cantine, R.N. Appointed 1902 


Born at Pella, Iowa; Butterworth Training School for 
Nurses, 1898. 


Rev. Samuet Marinus Zwem_er, D.D., LL.D., F.R.G.S. 

Appointed 1890 
Born at Vriesland, Mich.; Hope College, A.B. 1887; 
New Brunswick Theological Seminary, 1890; F.R.G.S. 
London, 1900; D.D. Hope College, 1904; Rutgers, 1919; 
LL.D. Muskingum College, 1918; Secretary, Student 
Volunteer Movement, 1906-1910; Field Secretary, Board 
of Foreign Missions, 1907-1910; Cairo, Theological 
Seminary, Literary Work, etc., 1912-; Editor of Moslem 
World; Honorary Secretary, American Christian Litera- 
ture Society for Moslems. 


Mrs. Amy ExizapetrH Witkes ZwEMER Appointed 1896 


Born at Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England; C. M.S. 
Mission, Baghdad, 1894-1896 (Church of England). 


Cuartes E. Riaes, M.D. Appointed 1892 
Born at New Orleans, La.; Recalled 1893. 


Rev. Peter JoHN ZwWEMER Appointed 1892 
Born at South Holland, Mich.; A.B. Hope College, 
1888; New Brunswick Theological Seminary, 1892; 
died at New York, October 18, 1898. 


James Tatmace Wyckorr, M.D. Appointed 1893 
Born at Queens, L. I.; M.D. Long Island College Hos- 
pital, Brooklyn; Retired 1894. 
24:2 


APPENDICES 243 


Henry R. Lanxrorp WorrRAuttL, M.D. Appointed 1895 
Born at New York City; A.B. Rutgers, 1884; M.D. 


Dartmouth Medical College, 1892; Retired 1917 (Metho- 
dist Episcopal). 

Mrs. Emma Hopcre Worra tt, M.D. Appointed 1901 
Born at Greenville, Pa.; M.D. Women’s Medical College 


of New York; M. E. Mission, Baroda, India, 1896-1900; 
Retired 1917 (Methodist Episcopal). 


Rev. Freperick Jacop Barny Appointed 1897 
Born at Basle, Switzerland; A.B. Rutgers, 1894; New 
Brunswick Theological Seminary, B.D., 1897; Prince- 
ton Theological Seminary, B.Th., 1918. 


Mrs. Marearet Rice Barny Appointed 1898 
Born at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. (Episcopalian). 


Rev. Grorce Epwin SToNE Appointed 1898 
Born at Mexico, N. Y.; A.B. Hamilton, 1895; Auburn 


Theological Seminary, 1898; died at Birka, Oman, June 
26, 1899 (Presbyterian). 


SHaron JouHN THoms, M.D. Appointed 1898 
Born at Three Rivers, Mich.; M.D. University of Michi- 
gan, 1898; died at Matrah, Oman, January 15, 1913 
(Methodist Episcopal). 

Mrs. Marion Wetts Tuoms, M.D. Appointed 1898 
Born at Summitt, Minn.; M.D. University of Michigan 


Homeopathic, 1898; died at Bahrain, April 25, 1905 
(Methodist Episcopal). 


Mrs. May DePree THoms Appointed 1906 
Born at Vriesland, Mich.; Retired 1913; Reappointed 
HOTS. 

Rev. Harry J. Wiersum Appointed 1899 


Born at Chicago, Ill.; A.B. Hope College, 1895; Prince- 
ton Theological Seminary, 1899; died at Basrah, August 
3, 1901. 


Rev. James ENocu Morrpyk Appointed 1900 
Born at Drenthe, Mich.; A.B. Hope College, 1897; New 
Brunswick Theological Seminary, 1900. 


24.4 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Rev. Joun Van Ess, D.D. Appointed 1902 


Born at Chicago, Ill.; A.B. Hope College, 1899; Prince- 
ton Theological Seminary, 1902; D.D. Central College, 
1918. 


Mrs. Dorotuy Firman Van Ess Appointed 1909 


Born at Wakefield, Mass.; A.B. Mount Holyoke, 1906; 
M.A. Wellesley, 1908 (Congregational). 


Miss JANE ALICE SCARDEFIELD Appointed 1903 


Born at New York City; Union Mission Training Insti- 
tute, 1903; Retired 1925. 


Miss Fanny Lutron Appointed 1904 
Born at Sydney, Australia (Church of England). 
ArtHur Kine Bennertr, M.D. Appointed 1904 


Born at Watkins, N. Y.; M.D. University of Michigan, 
1904; Retired 1917 (Episcopalian). 


Mrs. Jessie Vain BENNETT Appointed 1904 
Born at Michigan City, Ind.; A.B. University of Michi- 
gan, 1903; died at Bahrain, January 21, 1906 (Metho- 
dist Episcopal). 

Mrs. ANNA CurisTINE Iverson BENNETT Appointed 1909 
Born at Slagballe, Horsens Stift, Denmark; M.D. Uni- 


versity of Michigan, 1907; died at Basrah, March 29, 
1916 (Congregational). 


Mrs. Martua G. VoGEL Appointed 1905 
Born at Dresden, Germany; Nurses’ Training’ School, 
N. Y.; Retired 1914. 


Rev. Dirk Dykstra Appointed 1906 
Born at Welsryp, Netherlands; A.B. Hope, 1906; West- 
ern Theological Seminary, 1914. 


Mrs. Minniz WILTERDINK DyksTRA Appointed 1907 
Born at Holland, Mich. 
CuHarLes STANLEY GarRLAND Mytrea, M.D. Appointed 1906 


Born at London, England; M.D. Medico Chirurgical 
College, Philadelphia, 1905; O.B.E. British Government, 
1919 (Church of England). 


APPENDICES 245 


Mrs. Bresstze Lonpon Myrrea Appointed 1906 
Born at Philadelphia, Pa. (Presbyterian). 


Rev. Gerrit JoHN PENNINGS Appointed 1908 

| Born at Orange City, Ia.; A.B. Hope College, 1905; 
Western Theological Seminary, 1908; extended leave 
1914-1917. 


Mrs. GertruD SCHAFHEITLIN PENNINGS Appointed 1912 
Born at Berlin, Germany; B.Sc. McGill University, 
Montreal, Canada, 1909 (Lutheran). 


Miss Tuyra Hitpecarpe Jossetyn, M.D. Appointed 1908 
Born at San Francisco, Cal.; M.D. College of Physicians 
and Surgeons, Univeristy of Illinois, 1908; Retired 1910 
(Episcopal). 


Rev. Epwin Exvxtiot Catveriry, Pxu.D. Appointed 1909 
Born at Philadelphia, Pa.; A.B. Princeton University ; 
A.M. Princeton, 1908; Princeton Theological Seminary, 
1909; Ph.D. Hartford Seminary, 1923 (Presbyterian). 


Mrs. Exreanor Taytor Catvertey, M.D. Appointed 1909 
Born at Woodslow, Pa.; M.D. Women’s Medical College 
of Pennsylvania, 1908 (Methodist Episcopal). 


Pauxt Witsperrorce Harrison, M.D., D.Sc. Appointed 1909 
Born at Scribner, Nebr.; A.B. University of Nebraska, 
1905; M.D. Johns Hopkins Medical School, 1909; 
Fellow American College of Surgeons, 1921; D.Sc. 
Hope College, 1923 (Congregational). 


Mrs. Reena Raspes Harrison, R.N. . Appointed 1916 
Born at Catonsville, Md.; Union Protestant Infirmary 
Training School for Nurses, 1916 (Lutheran). 


Rev. Gerrit Dirk Van PEuRsEM Appointed 1910 
Borman \aurice,iass eA. srt Ope, LOO (ee urinceton 
Theological Seminary, 1910. 


Mrs. JosEPHINE SPAETH VAN PrurseM, R.N. Appointed 1910 
Born at Fribourg, Switzerland; German Hospital, New 
York. 


Miss Saran Lonewortu Hosmon, M.D. Appointed 1911 
Born in Henderson Co., Ky.; M.D. Medical Department, 
University of Illinois, 1911. 


246 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Tue University or MicuigAN ScHEME REPRESENTATIVES 
Appointed 1911 


Hatt G. Van Vuack, M.D. Retired 1917 
Mrs. Mercy Van Vuack Retired 1917 
Cuar.es F. Suaw, E.E.B. Retired 1914 
Mrs. ADELE B. Suaw Retired 1914 
Puitie C. Haynes, E.E.B. Retired 1914 
Miss CuarLorte BareBara® KELLIEN A ppointed 1915 


Born at Petrolia, Canada (Presbyterian). 


Rev. Henry Arsen BILKERT Appointed 1917 
Born at Kalamazoo, Mich.; A.B. Hope College, 1914; 
Western Theological Seminary, 1917. 


Mrs. ANNA MonteitH BILKERT Appointed 1917 
Born at Martin, Mich.; A.B. Kalamazoo College, 1915. 


Miss Mary Cuspsertey Van Pett, R.N. Appointed 1917 
Born at Hillsboro, Ohio; Norton Memorial Infirmary 
Training School for Nurses, Louisville, Ky., 1917 
(Methodist Episcopal). 


Lovis Paut Dame, M.D. Appointed 1919 
Born at Groningen, Netherlands; M.D. Medical College, 
University of Illinois, 1917. 


Mrs. ExizanetH Purpre Dame Appointed 1919 
Born at Plano, Ill.; Chicago Normal College, 1908 
(Congregational). 

Miss RutH Jackson Appointed 1921 
Born at New York City; A.B. Wells College, 1915 
(Presbyterian). 

Miss RacuHeL JACKSON Appointed 1921 
Born at New York City; A.B. Wells College, 1917 
(Presbyterian). 

Miss CorNELIA DALENBERG, R.N. Appointed 1921 


Born at South Holland, Ill.; West Side Hospital, Nurses’ 
Training School. 


APPENDICES 47 


Rev. Bernarp Danie, Hakken Appointed 1922 


Born at Grand Rapids, Mich.; A.B. Hope College, 1920; 
Western Theological Seminary, 1922. 


Mrs. Exrpa Van Purren Hakken Appointed 1922 
Born at Holland, Mich.; A.B. Hope College, 1918. 


Miss Grace OreaH STRANG Appointed 1922 


Born at Jolly, Ia.; M.A. University of California, 1917; 
retired 1925 (Methodist Episcopal). 


WituiAM Jean Morrpyx, M.D. Appointed 1923 


Born at Muskegon, Mich.; A.B. Hope College, 1913; 
M.D. University of Michigan Medical College, 1920. 


Mrs. Cornetia Leennouts Morrpyk, R.N. Appointed 1923 
Born at Holland, Mich.; Evanston Hospital Nurses’ 
Training, 1919. 

Rev. Garrett Enwarp DreJonea Appointed 1926 


Born at Orange City, Iowa; A.B. Hope College, 1922; 
Western Theological Seminary, 1925. 


Mrs. EverpDENE Kuyper DEJone Appointed 1926 
Born at Graafschap; A.B. Hope College, 1923. 
Miss Swantina JANE DrYoune Appointed 1926 


Born at Chicago, Ill.; A.B. Hope College, 1923. 


Short Term Appointments 


Miss Lucy M. Parrerson, M.D. 1914 
Miss Minnie C. Houzuauser, R.N. 1913-1916 
Watter Norman Leak, M.D. 1922-1923 
Grorce GossEeLInNK, A.B. Central College, 1922 1922-1925 


Tueropore Essespaacers, A.B. Hope College, 1926 1926- 


248 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


TRUSTEES OF THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Tuomas RussEvx, Esa., President 1889-1894 
Rev. Proressor JoHN GuLIAN LANSING 1889-1894 
Rev. Davin Waters, D.D., LL.D. 1889-1894 
Rev. ADRIAN ZWEMER 1889-1894 
Rev. JoHN ANGELL Davis 1889-1894 
Rev. Epwarp Tansore Corwin, D.D. 1889-1894 
Rev. Proressor JoHN PreEsTON SEARLE, D.D. 1889-1894 


Secretary-Treasurer 1890-1893. 


(Rev. Frank Seymour Scupper, Secretary-Treasurer 
1893-1894) 


(Nore.—A Committee of Advice, consisting of six members, 
was first formed, which conducted the affairs of the Mission 
until it was incorporated in March, 1891, and these with Dr. 
Corwin became the Charter Members of the Board of Trustees. 
When the Mission was adopted by the Reformed Church in 
America in 1894, members from its Board of Foreign Missions 
were elected in their place.) 


Rev. Proressor JoHN PrReEsTON SEARLE, D.D. 1894-1922 
President 1894-95; Vice-President 1896-1922. 


Rev. Tatsot Witson Cuamsers, D.D., T.S.D., LL.D. 


1894-1895 
Rev. Mancius Houtmes Hurron, D.D. 1894-1909 
President 1895-1909. 
Rev. Corneuius Low WE tts, D.D. 1894-1904 
Recording Secretary 1897-1904. 
Rev. Lewis Francis, D.D. 1894-1921 
Mr. Joun H. Harris 1894-1895, 1901 
Mr. Joun C. GIFFING 1894-1900 
Rev. Donaup Sace Mackay, D.D. 1896-1900 


Mr. Francis Bacon 1896-1903 


Rev. 


APPENDICES 


Joun Geruarpus Faae, D.D. 
(President 1910-1917) 


Mr. Joun BiInGcHAM 


Mr. Esen Erskine Oxcorr 


Rev. 


Rev. 


Rev. 


Rev. 


Rev. 
Rev. 


Rev. 
Rev. 


JosepH Henry WHITEHEAD 
(Recording Secretary) 


Epwarp Brenton Cor, D.D., LL.D. 
(Chairman Executive Committee) 


Tuomas Hanna Mackenzir, D.D. 
(Chairman Executive Committee) 


Henry Evertrson Coss, D.D. 
( President) 


Epwarp G. Reap, D.D. 


WitiiAM Bancrorr Hitz, D.D. 
(Vice-President ) 


Epwarp Dawson, D.D. 


Epear F. Romiac 


Mr. Frank R. CHAMBERS 


Mr. Herman VANDERWART 


249 
1901-1917 


1902-1924 
1904-1925 
1905-1920 


1910-1914 


1914-1925 


1917-1925 


1920-1923 
1922-1925 


1923-1925 
1923-1925 
1924-1925 
1925 


250 THE ARABIAN MISSION 


HONORARY TRUSTEES 


Tuomas Russewx, Esa. 1894-1911 
Masor Genrrat F. T. Hate 1892-1901 
W. A. Bucuanan, Eso. 1900-1925 
Dean V. C. Vaueun, M.D., University of Michigan 1911-1917 
Rev. James Cantine, D.D. 1916-1925 
Rev. Samuet Marinus Zweme_er, D.D., LL.D. 1916-1925 


(Nore.—As the Arabian Mission is now under the adminis- 
tration of the Board of Foreign Missions, R.C.A., a list of its 
present officers is also appended.) 


OFFICERS OF THE BOARD OF FOREIGN MISSIONS, 
1926 


Rev. Henry E. Coss, D.D., President 

Rev. WitiiAmM Bancrort Hiuy, D.D., Vice-President 

Rev. Epwarp Dawson, D.D., Recording Secretary 

Rev. W. I. CHamBer.ain, Pu.D., Corresponding Secretary 
F. M. Porrer, Associate Secretary and Treasurer 


Rev. W. J. Van Kersen, D.D., District Secretary 


APPENDICES 251 
STATISTICS 
Comparison of Extent of Work by Decades 

1894 1904 1914 1924 

SLALIOUIS nn rer esetee sie Ce Ass ale ile a Ree sd 5 3 5 5 
WUtestatiOns mer ra tes ote. cates Tato: Ys G 3 ot 
Missionaries, Men, ordained.............. 3 6 8 11 
Missionaries, Men, not ordained.......... 1 Z 4 5 
PNSSOCIALC EMLISSIONATIECS Oy o's 6 ssid ie desea at 6 9 14 
Missionaries, Unmarried Women......... fa 4 10 
IN GtIV ced EIDETS WIEN vee sive y ciclo ss gent oles 18 33 15 
INGLIVemLICiper sen WOMCI yk svete esses 5 11 7 
MUENURCHC SME rt eee hs ue oles Barred Gee 5 
Pe AMGUUMCANTS Meters. ts aia meeteett de. he As kes 19 
KRecelvedwolm Confessions. ees ee nt 2 Ay. 7 
PARC omOCHOOIS tT DOYSiiens os lee eke eG ee aux 1 1 
SOG LLL AUL SMPNNTIRNS OES recat ene cha thal ote hee ren ae oe Me 12 22 
PALELUA VMS MOOLSI Meals ales celene 6 ote a aie eta cls A J 6 6 
POLAT SME alate canis 6 vas elo oleeMotey ale iss 42 90 88 
EDA VOCHOOIS Metre eek soak te io tes Ck ts ee 1 7 10 
oe ATOU BETO? fy hale 3)” sep 5 ACR SIG ie el ge ue 68 193 349 
AAOSPiLalS sali PL DISDENSALICS. Cs ce ees scenes eZ 4 5 4 
PetienismUTCAtCde ue holies wade mies 1,888 20,755 23,709 59,413 


Native Contributions (Gold equivalent)... .. $214 





* Unorganized. 
{¥ Figures of 1923. 


$227 $1,600} 


INCOME OF THE ARABIAN MISSION BY DECADES 


Other Special Objects 
Syndicates Sources (incl. Legacies) Totals 
First Decade (1890-1899)...... $29,310.10 $29,295.03 $11,206.28 $69,811.41 
Second Decade (1900-1909)... 67,257.89 109,685.68 41,406.60 218,350.17 
Half Decade (1910-1914)...... 67,706.15 89,052.29 39,997.64 196,756.08 


Last Decade (1915-1924)...... 179,162.80 367,964.76 171,199.50 718,327.06 
RrPand url Ola Sims rdsss ts «(ors's 5 << $343,436.94 $595,997.76 $263,810.02 $1,203,244.72 _ 


INCOME IN YEAR ENDED APRIL 30, 1925 


Churchesisandm SOCtetics.yeieisise laicielc se eielesin ere $41,457.95 
Wioman ss BOAT trey tote ct ction a sate cletelotatetentare 21,984.76 
TncividualeGittsmer ee ete eee tsetse saha rents 6,007.80 
IG ihdet eas Ia iH ARASH cE Haan OtIon cick eco Nac 1,259.61 
Special SO DSECtStaise cre srereve ne Severe o eiece eteitione ei eiets 14,826.90 
Ota lime tte stevanrercis es 5 tie phe cits, tee dlevcreve ele leyclaie ener $85,537.02 


Notre—Following amalgamation with the Board of Foreign Missions, separate 


record of receipts cannot be tabulated. 





INDEX 


A 


Abd ul Aziz bin Saud, 143, 180, 
197-199 

Abyssinian Domination, 19 

Aden, 17, 68, 96, 229-230 

Adoption of Arabian Mission by 
Board, 81, 85 

Ahl el Beit, 13 

Ahl el H’eit, 13 

Al Azhar, University of, 40 

Algiers, 40 

Alhambra, 24 

Amalgamation with Board, 238-241 

Amarah, 86, 93, 125, 145, 187, 
202-204 . 

Amalekites, 12 

American Bible Society, 85, 231- 
232 

American Christian Lit. 
Moslems, 232 

Ammonites, 12 

Anaiza, 198 

Appendices, 242-251 

Arabia, Physical Aspects of, 9-12 

Arabian Nights, 23 

Architecture, Arabian, 24 

Arts of Arabia, 24-26 

Ashar Girls’ School, 218 


Soc. for 


B 


Baghdad, 23, 25, 204-206, 228 

Bahrain, 68, 80, 115-119, 122-123, 
159-160, 179, 192-194, 201 

Bahrain Chapel and School, 118- 
119 

Baptisms, Early, 103-104 

Barny, Rev. F. J., 94, 134, 156 

Basrah, 68, 76, 80, 119-120, 131- 
132, 172-175, 185-191 

Basrah Chapel, 151-152 

Basrah Boys’ School, 132, 149-151, 
187-189 

Basrah Girls’ School, 149, 187, 188, 
189, 218 

Bedawin, 18, 40, 43 

Bennett, Dr. A. K., 125, 130, 133, 
144-145, 173, 184, 186 


Bennett, Mrs. Christine I., Death 
of, 184-185 

Bennett, Mrs. Jessie Vail, Death 
of, 110, 131 

Bible Shops, 82, 146, 155 

Bible Lands Missions’ Aid Soci- 
ety, 232 

Biblical References to Arabia, 17 

Bilkert, Rev. H. A., 202 

Black Stone of Mecca, 43 

Boreida, 198. 

British and Foreign Bible Soci- 
ety, 47, 78, 85, 160, 231 

British Mandate of Mesopotamia, 
177 

Bruce, Rev. Robert, 47 


C 


Cairo, 25 

Caliph, 39 

Calverley, Rev. FE. i Ey (185.0)1405, 
154, 155 

Cantine, Rev. James, 57-58, 64, 
66-69, 71, 84, 134, 202, 204-206 
Marriage of, 132 

Chamberlain, Rev. W. I., 3-4, 208- 
209, 227, 228 

Characteristics of the Arab, 13-16 

Christian and Missionary Alliance, 
230 

Christianity, Early Contacts with, 
42-46 

Churches in Arabia, 126-127, 151- 
152, 200-202 

Church Missionary Society, 205, 
225-227 

Civilization, Arabian, 21-26 


Clark, “The Arabs and _ the 
Turks,” 13, 14, 17-18 

Cobb, Rev. Henry N., 118-119, 
128, 138 


Converts, Early, 103-104, 136-137 
Converts, 206-207 

Corwin, Rev. E. T., 66 

Cox, Sir Percy Z., 177-178, 185 
Creed of Islam, 29, 32 

Crusades, 22 

Cushite, 12, 18 


253 


254 
D 


Damascus, 18, 25 

Dame, Dr. L. P., 198 

Danish Church Mission, 229-230 

Davis, Rev. John A., 65 

D’ Assisi, Francis, 44 

Debai, 140-142 

De Larrey, Baron, 13 

De Pree, Miss Elizabeth G. (Mrs. 
Cantine), 124, 212 

Deputations, 128, 208-209 

Dervishes, 37 

Dykstra, Rev. Dirk, 131, 202-204 


E 


Edomites, 17 

Education under Islam, 40 

Educational Work, 182, 149-151, 
187-189, 217-218 

Egypt, 40 

Ethiopians, 12 

Evangelistic Work, (See under 
Converts, Churches, Preaching, 
Tours, etc.) 

Extent of Islam, 33-34 


F 


Farrar, Cannon, 42 

Feisul bin Hussein, 177 

French, Bishop, 48-50 

Furloughs of Missionaries, 183-184 


G 


Gibrail, Anton, 47 
Graves, Anthony N., 47 


H 


Haig, Major General F. T., 47, 
67, 68 

Hamitic, 12 

Hardinge, Lord, 208 

Harrat, 11 

Harrison, Dr. P. W., 135, 145, 154, 
158, 197, 199-200 

Hassa, 143, 160 

Hauri, Johannes, 30 


THE ARABIAN MISSION 


Hertzog Hall, 57 

Hill, Rev. and Mrs. W. B., 156, 
188, 208 

Hillah, 228 

Himyarites, 18 

History of Arabia, 17-18 

Hodeida, 68 

Hofhoof, 77 

Holzhauser, Miss M. C., 147 

Hosmon, Dr. S. L., 147, 159, 191- 
192 

Hymn, Arabian Mission, 7, 62-63 


I 


Ikhwan, 143, 179-180, 195, 198 

Imam, 36 

Incorporation of Arabian Mission, 
65 


Iraq, Kingdom of, 177-179 
Ishmael, 12 

Ishmaelites, 14, 17 

Islam, 27, 28-41 


J 


Jebel Tobeyk, 10-11 

Jessup, Rev. Henry H., 69, 70 
Jezirat-el Arab, 9 

Jidda, 68, 96, 161-162 

Jihad or Holy War, 38, 173 
Job, Book of, 17 

Johann, Jakoob, 73, 83 

John of Damascus, 44 
Josselyn, Miss T. H., 35 


K 


Kamil Abd el Messia, 69-71 
Karachi, 162, 170 
Katar, 143 
Katif, 77, 160 
Kedarenes, 17 
Keith-Falconer, Ion, 51-53 
Keith-Falconer Mission, 223-225 
Koran, 23, 28, 30-31, 35, 88 
Koreish, 43 
Kuwait, 121, 153-155, 194-196, 201, 
208 
Opening of, 144-145 
Kuwait Hospital, 153, 194-196 
Kuwait Women’s Hospital, 195 


INDEX 


L 


Lansing, Rev. John G., 58, 59, 65 

Lansing Memorial Hospital, 120, 
147-149, 172, 1738, 185-186 
Closing of, 187 

Linga, 160 

Literacy under Islam, 40 

Literature, Arabian, 22-24 

Lull, Raymond, 45-46 

Lutton, Miss Fanny, 124, 129, 158 


M 


Maadites, 12 

Martyn, Henry, 46 

Mason Memorial Hospital, 116-118, 
192-194, 199 . 

Matrah, 134, 142, 144, 155-157, 172 

Matrah Hospital Fund, 156 

Maude Hospital, Basrah, 186 

Mecca, 19, 20, 24, 26, 33, 38 

Medical Work, 172-73, 82, 86-87, 
99, 116-118, 122-123, 124, 126, 
132-1385, 147-148, 155-157, 159, 
160-161, 185-186, 191-200, 215- 
217 

Medicine, Arabian, 25 

Medina, 21, 38 

Mesopotamia, 19, 204-206 

Midianites, 12, 17 

Milton Stewart, 203-204 

Missionary Appointments, (1915- 
1924), 181-183 

Missionaries, List of, 242-247 

Moabites, 12 

Moerdyk, Rev. J. E., 124, 129, 
145, 156, 159 

Mohammed, 19-21, 28 

Mohammedanism, Early Spread of, 
19-21 
Nature of, 28-41 

Mohammera, 162 

Mosul, 227, 228 

Muscat, 78-79, 80, 113-115, 
142, 158, 159, 191-192, 201 

Muscat Dispensary, 159, 191-192 

Mylrea, Dr. C. S. G., 181, 134, 
155, 159, 195, 197 


134, 


255 


Nakhl, 133, 142 
Nasiriya, 86, 93, 197 
Native Helpers, 113, 172 
Nebataeans, 17, 19 
Nefud, 10 

Nejd, 10, 68, 78, 142 
Nile Mission Press, 159 


O 


Officers of the Board of Foreign 
Missions, 250 

Ojeir, 160 

Okad, Feast of, 23, 40 

Oman, 10, 79, 92, 134, 141-142, 156 


Le 


Palgrave, 10 

Paul in Arabia, 42-48 

Pennings, Rev. G. J., 1385, 145, 190 

Peoples of Arabia, 12-16 

Persecutions of Converts, 136-137 

Peter the Venerable, 44 

Phelps, Rev. Philip T., 57, 60 

Philosophy, Arabian, 23-24 

Physical Aspects of Arabia, 9-12 

Pirate Coast, 199-200 

Plan of the Arabian Mission, 61- 
62 

Polygamy, 15, 31 

Preaching, 200-202 

Predestination, 31-32 

Presbyterian Church, 227, 228 

Prophets, Moslem, 31 


R 


Ramazan, 32 

Receipts of Arabian Mission, 138, 
251 

Reformed Church in the U. S,, 
162, 228 

Religion of Arabia, 28-41 

Riadh, 197, 198 

Riggs, Dr. C. E., 72-78 

River Touring, 203-204 

Russell, Mr. Thomas, 65 


256 
S 


Sabeans, 17 

Sana’a, 68 

Scardefield, Miss J. A., 124 

Schafheitlin, Miss G., 147 

Searle, Rev. John Preston, 65, 66, 
137-138 

Sects of Islam, 35-39 

Sharga, 121, 125 

Shatt-el-Arab, 68, 75 

Sheikh Othman, 52, 68 

Shiahs, 36-37 

Shukra, 198 

Slave School, 
104-105 

Sohar, 121 

Statistics, 251 

Stone, Rev. G. E., 98 
Death of, 99-102 

Sufis, 37-38 

Sunnis, 35-36 

Syndicates, 1388-139 


Muscat, 89-90; 98, 


ib 


Taj Mahal, 24 

Thoms, Mrs. Marion Wells, Death 
of, 110, 129-130 

Thoms, Dr. Sharon J., 99, 116, 122, 
184, 155-157 
Death of, 157-158 

Tours, Missionary, 77-78, 120-122, 
125, 132, 183, 160, 196-200, 203- 
204 

Trajan, Roman Emperor, 19 

Treaty with Iraq, 178-179 

Tripoli, 40 

Trustees of the Arabian Mission, 
65, 248-250 

Twenty-fifth Anniversary, 162-165 


U 


United Mission in Mesopotamia, 
227-229 

United Presbyterian Mission, 
Egypt, 159 


THE ARABIAN MISSION 


University of Michigan Scheme, 
146, 147, 148-149, 153 


V 


Van Kss, Rev. John, 124, 132, 145, 
173, 187-188 
Van Peursem, Rev. G. D., 146 


WwW 

Wadys, 11 

Wahhabis, 38-39, 143 

Wakt-el-Jahiliyeh, 18 

War, Effect of the, 140, 142-143, 
167-176 . 

Waters, Rev. David, 65 

Watt, Mr. James, 47 

Wiersum, Rev. Harry J., 104, 109 
Death of, 110, 123-124 

Wilson, Dr. John, 47 

Wilterdink, Miss M., 185 

Women Missionaries, List of, 221- 
222 

Women, Position of, 15-16 

Women’s Work, 211-220 

Worrall, Dr. H. R. L., 86, 87, 98, 
133, 158, 159 

Wyckoff, Dr. James T., 81 


Y 


Yemen, 10, 12, 17, 19, 38, 13 
Yemenites, 12 
Y. M. C. A., 189-191, 202 


Z 


Zobair, 160 

Zwemer, Rev. Adrian, 65 

Zwemer, Mrs. Amy W., 87-88 

Zwemer, Rev. Peter J., 74, 78, 89, 
91, 92, 93 
Death of, 94-96 

Zwemer, Rev. S. M., 57, 58, 66-69, 
71, 74, 76, 82, 84, 112, 113, 129, 
138, 159, 161-162 


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